Safer Shopping

Rochdale businesses have embarked on a crime busting new initiative run by Rochdale Town Centre Management in partnership with Greater Manchester Police and the Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership.

The partnership issued a warning today to all shoplifters “We know who you are and where, when and how you will strike next”

The Rochdale Business Watch scheme has taken delivery of a computer which will radically alter how stores control their stock losses. It can highlight who will try to steal from what store, on what day and at what time.

The software will even tell retail crime teams what the shoplifters like to steal and how the light fingered crooks operate. It has enabled Rochdale Crime team to warn security staff who to look out for so that they can be barred from entering their premises.

The computer system is the first of its kind in the Greater Manchester Police area and ACIS – Active Crime Intelligence System will revolutionize the way we tackle crime in the town. Debbie O'Brien, Rochdale Town centre Manager said “For the first time ever we are able to predict the patterns of behaviour of our criminals so we can warn our member stores who to look out for. With this system we know who they are, when they will strike, in what shops and what they will go for.”

There are numerous reasons why people visit Rochdale unfortunately a small minority visit to commit crime, by focusing on them before they arrive we will help to make people feel safe working, visiting and living in the town centre.

There are many partners which have come together to deliver this scheme, first and foremost we would like to thank our main sponsor MSA, situated on Maclure Road just off Drake Street, Rochdale. MSA are a local computer provider and supplied us the hardware free of charge to run the ACIS system.

If you would like further information about the scheme please contact Town Centre Management on 01706 866676.