Okehampton BID is preparing to subscribe to UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC)—a national, co‑operative crime‑reduction platform bringing together retailers, hospitality businesses, rural enterprises, police forces, and crime‑prevention specialists. UKPAC enables businesses to report incidents quickly through a secure online system, improving intelligence‑sharing and supporting more effective enforcement. Founded to help businesses collectively tackle rising levels of shoplifting, violence, and anti‑social behavior, UKPAC offers members 24/7 access to its crime‑management platform, with reports fed directly to the UKPAC Crime Hub, where specialists collate evidence, prepare crime packs, and work closely with police to support investigations and prosecutions.
The approach has delivered measurable outcomes: more than 41,000 incidents were processed in 2024, and UKPAC contributed to 582 weeks of sentencing secured by 2025. In areas using similar intelligence‑led crime‑reporting models, the results have been equally strong—for example, Dorset saw 196 months of jail time and nearly 30 years of Criminal Behavior Orders in 2024.
Much of this capability is powered by SentrySIS, a secure digital policing platform allowing businesses to upload CCTV, photographs and notes, generating intelligence packages that help police identify prolific offenders more rapidly.
A Regional Comparison: Tavistock BID’s Experience
Tavistock BID currently operates a similar digital crime‑reporting platform, the DISC system, which enables businesses to report low‑level crime and share intelligence with other traders in the town. It has strengthened communication with local police and supported reductions in incidents.
This demonstrates the value of modern reporting platforms—and shows that Okehampton’s move to UKPAC mirrors successful approaches adopted in neighbouring towns.
Supporting Local Businesses Across the Whole Town
Rather than focusing on historical concerns, Okehampton BID emphasises that UKPAC will actively support businesses in dealing with shoplifting, anti‑social behavior and repeat offending. The platform simplifies reporting, improves intelligence flows, and increases the likelihood of meaningful enforcement. Businesses record incidents once—UKPAC handles evidence collation and communication with police.
Benefits for Industrial Estate and Out‑of‑Town Businesses
While crime issues often affect town centres most visibly, industrial estates, business parks and out‑of‑town traders also face challenges—particularly theft from yards, break‑ins, equipment theft, fuel theft, and out‑of-hours anti‑social behavior.
Subscribing to UKPAC will benefit these areas by:
- Providing a fast, simple reporting mechanism for businesses that may not always have staff on site, increasing the capture of out‑of‑hours incidents.
- Improving intelligence‑sharing across the whole BID area, enabling industrial and rural businesses to receive alerts about suspicious vehicles, known offenders, or patterns of activity identified elsewhere in the region. (UKPAC provides real‑time intelligence on crime trends and prolific offenders.)
- Supporting police with more consistent, higher‑quality evidence, which is especially valuable where isolated locations make traditional reporting more difficult.
- Creating a joined‑up picture of criminal behaviour, linking incidents across both the town centre and outskirts—helping to identify repeat offenders moving between areas.
- Ensuring out‑of‑town businesses have the same protective tools as central retail and hospitality premises, strengthening safety and resilience across the entire Okehampton business community.
The BID is committed to ensuring that crime‑prevention benefits reach every levy‑payer, not just those on the high street, and UKPAC provides the infrastructure to make this possible.
Investment and First‑Year Benefits
Okehampton BID anticipates that the first-year subscription is offered for FREE, in the second and subsequent year costs will be around £1,400.
There may be additional monthly administration costs, but again these are expected to be provided free of charge during the first year so the BID can monitor and assess future requirements before full implementation, the administration may be done in-house.
Next Steps
Once the subscription is finalised, Okehampton businesses—including those on industrial estates and the town outskirts—will be invited to register for access. Training and onboarding support will ensure members can begin using the platform immediately.
With more than 1,300 members already using UKPAC across the UK, Okehampton BID is confident that joining this network will strengthen safety, improve reporting, and create a safer trading environment for all businesses in the BID area.
