Business Networks: LinksThe Business Network on Crime Prevention (BNCP)
Canada
The Business Network on Crime Prevention (BNCP) is made up of representatives from Canadian business associations and is a key element of the Business Action Program on Crime Prevention (BAPCP). The goals of BNCP are: to create and develop partnerships among business (locally, nationally, internationally), promote business as part of the community and leaders in the community, and encourage all individuals to share responsibility for making communities safe and preventing crime.
Business Against Crime (BAC)
South Africa
Business Against Crime (BAC) was established in 1996, following a request made by government (under the Presidency of Nelson Mandela) that business play a key role in combating crime in South Africa. BAC's main objective is to make South Africa a safer place to live, work, and do business in partnership with government and citizens. It is funded by a yearly contribution from its founding sponsors and funding provided by the broader business sector.
National Platform for Crime Control (NPC)- Stichting Nationaal Platorm Criminalitesitsbeheersing
The Netherlands
Set up in 1992, the National Platform for Crime Control (NPC) is a public-private collaboration whose main objective is to combat crime problems affecting the business sector. All relevant ministries are represented in the platform, as well as the police, the public prosecutions department, and local authorities. Other members include: insurance companies, banks, retail trade, and organizations of employers and employees. The goals of the Platform include: analysing crime trends, setting joint policy priorities, initiating joint programmes which tackle these areas, and improving security, and law enforcement in relation to crimes against business. The NPC is will now fall under the Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (CCV).
In March 2004, The Dutch Council of Ministers agreed to the setting up of a Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (CCV). The CCV is an initiative of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and is the result of the Government's Safety Programme. The CCV creates one central point where public and private organisations alike can find information and expertise on crime prevention and safety.
When the CCV was set up, it was decided that it would be a private foundation. This was based on the premise that authorities and private partners would each contribute to crime prevention and safety according to their own responsibilities and capabilities.
Crime Concern
England & Wales
Since its creation in 1988, Crime Concern has established itself as a centre of expertise in developing partnerships (including those with the business community) to stimulate local crime prevention activity. The need for business sector particpation was quickly recognized as a key to achievement of Crime Concern's objectives both to prevent crime in the community as well as crime against the business community. Some examples of Crime Concern's extensive work in facilitating business partnerships in crime prevention includes: auto industry participation in producing a theft-proof car, insurance industry collaboration in domestic burglary prevention initiative (Homesafe), and Marks and Spencer support of an initiative promoting pro-social behavior and opportunities for at risk youth.
Business Crime Reduction Advisors
England & Wales
As part of the Developing Crime Reduction Advice and Support Services for Businesses strategy, a network of BCRAs has been established in each of ten regional government offices to act as links between business and local crime reduction agencies as well as to develop and implement strategies to deal with local business crime problems. Based locally, BCRAs aim to develop a better understanding of the crime problems and issues affecting businesses within their region and ensure that crime reduction initiatives focus on particular local requirements. `
Action Against Business Crime Group
Home Office – UK
The Home Office and British Retail Consortium have announced the creation of a national action group, the Action Against Business Crime Group, which aims to:
- support and develop business crime partnerships in local areas, and
- create links between business, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, and additional community stakeholders.
The action group will work to ensure that the crime issues affecting businesses in local areas are understood, and to disseminate best practice information. The action group will be known as a National Association for Business Crime Reduction Partnerships. It operates as part of a larger business crime strategy and is funded by the Home Office, with £900 000 over two years.
The Scottish Business Crime Centre ( SBCC)
Scotland
Created in 1996 under the Business Crime Reduction Strategy for Scotland, the Scottish Business Crime Centre (SBCC) provides practical advice to the business/commercial sectors on how to develop business crime reduction and prevention strategies.
Their website offers links to partner organizations, a resource library (with downloadable publications), and current news on the Centre’s developments (eg. new crime prevention initiatives and information on conferences, seminars and training sessions). The SBCC is a non-profit company that works within a tripartite relationship between the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland, the Scottish Executive, and the business community in Scotland.
National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC)
Australia
The NMVTRC is an independent, incorporated not-for-profit association, working under the aegis of the Australian and New Zealand Crime Prevention Ministerial Forum and the Insurance Council of Australia. It is a joint initiative between all Australian governments and the insurance industry. The NMTVRC began operation in 1999 for a five year term, which was recently extended to continue until 2006. The seeks to lower Australia’s high level of vehicle theft in order to benefit the economic and social well-being of the country. The organizational aims are to:
- reduce the cost of vehicle theft with countermeasures that impede the activities of organized criminals, and
- reduce the cost of vehicle theft with strategies to reduce the opportunistic theft of older vehicles for joyriding, transport, or to commit other crimes.
They work to implement a range of theft reduction techniques including increasing the flow of police and registration information nationally, leading young offenders away from vehicle theft, and closing the loopholes that professional thieves exploit.
The NMVTRC website contains valuable vehicle theft prevention information in the form of publications (eg. annual reports, strategic plans, Code of Practice project news); links to relevant websites; email newsletters; Car Safe tips; a statistically based search engine (used to determine a vehicle’s vulnerability to theft); information on Immobilise Now! (a program created to protect older cars from theft); vehicle theft statistics; and a knowledge bank with reference information.
Broader Networks: Corporate Social Responsibility
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
USA
Begun in 1992, BSR’s mission is to create a just and sustainable world by working with companies to promote more responsible business practices, innovation, and collaboration. They provide issue expertise, advisory services, training, conferences, consulting services, custom reports, publications, and information found on their website. BSR holds annual conferences on corporate social responsibility (CSR) for business leaders and their colleagues in the public and independent sectors. Information on the upcoming 2004 conference in New York (“Integrating CSR: New Risks, New Rewards”) that includes a thematic session on Human Rights and Social Inclusion, is available on their website. A non-profit organization, BSR is funded by numerous companies, including the AT&T Foundation, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and more.
Business in the Community (BITC)
London, UK
BITC’s work emphasizes the importance of corporate social responsibility in business practice, so as to positively impact society. The BITC has five campaigns that focus on different areas of social responsibility: business in the environment, which addresses sustainable development; race for opportunity, which increases awareness of the business benefits of race; opportunity now, which highlights the benefits women bring to the workforce; cause related marketing; and the promotion of corporate community investment.
Some of BITC’s strategies include programmes that tackle community development through mobilization of the workforce, professional skills, local regeneration as well as business action on homelessness, drugs, and linking the private sector to development opportunities.
The BITC also offers Awards for Excellence for companies who exert an overall positive impact in their community. The organization has also created a Business Impact website which aims to improve corporate impact on society, specifically targeting issues of regeneration, environment, work force, human rights, compliance, communications, and ethics.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Europe (formerly European Business Network for Social Cohesion, EBNSC),
Brussels, Belgium
CSR Europe is a non-profit organization that assists companies to disseminate their knowledge and experience in corporate social responsibility, in order to contribute to a sustainable economy and more just society. Their aim is to help businesses succeed while stimulating job growth, increasing employability, and preventing social exclusion. CSR Europe’s objectives are: to convince managers of the benefits of socially responsible business practice, by providing business people and partners with print and online publications, best practices and tools; to offer business managers learning, benchmarking, and capacity building opportunities; and to energize a broader stakeholder dialogue between businesses, European policy makers, governments, investors, social partners, civil society, and academic.
CSR Europe has a searchable database with information on news, publications, research, company reports, and best practice case studies. For more information, visit their website at: http://www.csreurope.org/aboutus/default.aspx.
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