Keeping residents and businesses safe
Published
Monday 31 March, 2025
Updated
Wednesday 2 April, 2025
14 more businesses signed up to a scheme to tackle crime across Swale during this month’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) Awareness Week.
Swale Borough Council and Kent Police used the week to engage with businesses across the borough, target areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour and shoplifting and offer practical advice about business crime.
Officers also used BCRP Awareness Week to promote Swale Link, which provides businesses with radio communication to the council's CCTV centre, enabling rapid reporting of incidents and a co-ordinated response with Kent Police.
The council’s CCTV cameras are monitored 24/7 by the council’s control centre and provide the police with live video from the location, helping them assess incidents and respond when necessary.
The new signups bring the number of businesses registered with Swale Link to 93, and includes charities, supermarkets, newsagents, cafes and more.
Swale Link is a powerful tool to help police identify and respond to antisocial behaviour in or near local businesses and to help keep people safe.
The effectiveness of this system has been demonstrated in several recent incidents.
When Kent Police broadcasted information about a wanted individual, our CCTV operators relayed the alert through Swale Link. Subsequently, a high street business in Sheerness reported a sighting, leading to the individual's apprehension and recall to prison.
Similarly, prompt reporting through Swale Link enabled the swift arrest of an individual involved in a theft of joints of meat from a supermarket.
These examples highlight the valuable collaboration between businesses, our CCTV control centre and Kent Police, ensuring a safer community for everyone.
Swale’s control centre is exploring monitoring other area’s CCTV networks, growing the network of cameras, and making tracking criminal’s movements over council borders far more efficient and effective.
They monitor 300 cameras in total and work with local businesses to help tackle crime across Kent.
The control centre also offers a range of services from public space and commercial CCTV monitoring, access control, out of hours, and facilities management.
