New technology to be rolled out to Aylesbury businesses fighting shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

Aylesbury Town Council has announced plans to roll out a tracking system to help shops remain secure against increasingly common thefts.

In partnership with Thames Valley Police the town council is rolling out crime tracking software known as Disc.

Aylesbury Town Council describes Disc as an online information-sharing system that will be free for participating businesses.

Also, the council has introduced ‘Aylesbury Shopwatch’ to encourage information sharing between businesses and local organisations to increase low level crime awareness.

Key features included on disc that have been listed by the town council include:

-Access to galleries of known offenders

-Submission of incident reports and new offender reports

-Direct crime reporting, bypassing the 101 service for quicker, retail-specific responses

-Instant messaging and email alerts for urgent and important updates

-Access to alerts, important news, and information about upcoming events

-Automated weekly e-newsletter summarizing updates on the Disc system

Disc is already in use in more than 500 locations across the country, including 18 active sites within the Thames Valley area, all of which have reported significant benefits, according to the police force’s findings.

Aylesbury Town Council leader, Councillor Richard Lloyd, said: “Aylesbury Town Council is delighted to support the Disc scheme, which represents a significant step forward in improving safety and communication within our local business community. This partnership will provide retailers with the tools they need to protect their businesses more effectively, while also strengthening the ties between the Town Council, local businesses, and Thames Valley Police. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative will have on our town.”

All businesses are invited to sign up for free. Access to Disc is available through both a dedicated app and a web browser. Businesses in Aylesbury are encouraged to contact Thames Valley Police via email to find out more. Businesses are asked to include their company name, contact name, and an email address.

Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, said: “I made the commitment to make Disc available to retailers across the Thames Valley earlier this year as part of my Retail Crime Strategy and I’m delighted the platform has now been rolled out to businesses in Aylesbury and the surrounding area.”