The Northampton Retail Crime Initiative (NRCI) was originally set up in 2001 with council funding and the support of the police to help drive down business-related crime and antisocial behaviour in the town.
The NRCI model is now just one of six local partnerships which cover every part of Northamptonshire, under the umbrella of the Northamptonshire Business Crime Partnership (NBCP).
The NBCP isn’t the only countywide or police force-wide scheme of its kind. However, following the reboot funding from Northamptonshire’s police & crime commissioner, it is notable for:
- being on the verge of 100% self-funding
- delivering demonstrable benefits to retailers throughout the county of Northamptonshire
- delivering key elements in the PCC’s Policing & Crime Plan
- helping police fill a perceived gap in conventional neighbourhood policing
- increasing crime reporting to police while reducing the cost of processing those reports
- identifying first-time offenders and those with chronic and chaotic lifestyles to enable effective, early intervention
Now the NBCP is looking beyond crime reduction towards delivering a range of innovative, community-based, crime prevention programmes.
