Crawley and Gatwick Business Watch has extended its operations to create Manor Royal Business Watch. The commercial and industrial estate is one of the largest in the south east and includes retail outlets and a hotel. Some 500 businesses vary from single units to large international corporations. Businesses have been victims of a variety of crimes including diesel and metal theft as well as burglary, theft, vandalism and other crime – frequently unreported.
Manor Royal has experienced almost 250 reported crimes in the past 12 months.
Chief Inspector Steve Curry welcomed the scheme. “It is important that areas like Manor Royal work together to help prevent themselves becoming targets for criminals. The business watch is an excellent initiative which will do just that. It has already worked in other parts of the town and I am sure it will do the same for Manor Royal.”
Karen Methven, C&GBW manager said: “the idea came from our success in the town centre with Crawley and Gatwick Business and Pub watch. This works well because the community works together, so we decided it would be a good idea to arrange something similar for Manor Royal and businesses who work here. All of the businesses are going to have access to a secure website to receive information and alerts.
“The police, fire brigade and other key partners are also working with us to share information, provide crime prevention advice and raise awareness so that businesses can be made aware of what is happening with their near neighbours and further afield. This will help to build a strong sense of community, reduce criminal opportunity and deter those who may be thinking of committing crime in the area. It’s not just about crime though, it’s about uniting businesses by making them aware of what is going on. There are a lot of small crimes which are not reported to police so with the email alerts we can make other businesses aware of what is going on and they can take precautionary measures.”
