BRONX police have begun working directly with business owners to combat a rise in shoplifting — and so far, it’s working.
The initiative encourages NYPD officers to share their private telephone numbers with supermarket owners in their precincts so that police can respond faster to crimes.
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The NYPD has also organized WhatsApp groups for local retailers to share images of suspects and keep each other updated on crimes in real time, according to the New York Post.
Shop owners had begun complaining about the ineffectiveness of the local NYPD in recent years, and many said that they had given up on calling 911 during emergencies because the response time was so long.
Although the program is only a few weeks old, some Bronx business owners have already noticed a difference.
“One of my colleagues caught a guy shoplifting and instead of calling 911 he called the crime prevention team and they were there in five minutes,” local grocer Eddie Vargas told the Post.
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The WhatsApp chats were immediately helpful for stopping repeat offenders, another business owner said.
“The idea is to aggregate these crimes [so we know] when someone has exceeded the misdemeanor threshold,” said Carlos Collado, owner of two Fine Fare stores.
“We saw the fastest response ever.”
Although rising crime rates have been a growing challenge for business owners for some time, one altercation late last year helped bring about the creation of the new strategy.
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A confrontation between a suspected thief and a shopkeeper in the 46th Precinct resulted in the shopkeeper’s arrest for assault, angering the community.
“We are the victims and now we are criminalized,” one local supermarket owner lamented after the arrest went public.
Compounding problems further, New York City officials reported a 5% increase in robberies during the first month of 2024.
To show their frustration and solidarity behind their colleague, several local business owners visited the Precinct and aired their concerns with NYPD Inspector Jeremy Scheublin in early January.
The idea to more deeply link NYPD officers with their communities via personal phone numbers and WhatsApp chats was born.
The 46th Precinct did not respond to a request for comments by the Post, but a representative for the NYPD said that officers are routinely encouraged to share their contact information within their communities.
“NYPD officers, including those assigned as Crime Prevention Officers, routinely offer their business cards to community members and business owners to enhance the relationship between officers and the communities they serve,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
But calling 911 is still the recommended move during emergencies, they said.
“While business cards provide a direct line to officers, the public is reminded to dial 911 in the event of an emergency, such as a crime in progress,” they wrote.
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/10341736/calling-911-not-always-effective-shop-owners-say/