Update for Businesses 11th August

	WELCOME TO ALERTCOMMS Police Communication to the Community ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	ISSUE 3 Thursday 11th August 2011 www.tfl.gov.uk - Updated As you are aware, although reducing in number and severity, the last couple of days have seen incidents of disorder across the country. We would once again like to thank the many members of our local communities and businesses for their continued support. Yesterday's meeting at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill's - Update Commander Rodhouse, the Metropolitan Police Services (MPS) engagement lead for Businesses, attended a meeting at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills yesterday that was attended by approximately 30 business and commercial representative bodies at a senior level. The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) - who hold the MPS to account and ensure an effective and efficient police service for a ll of London's communities - were represented at the meeting by their Chief Executive, Catherine Crawford. A representative from the Greater London Authority was also present, as was the Minister for Business and Innovation, Mark Prisk. This was a positive meeting with support for the MPS business engagement strategy. It was clarified that the MPS are not encouraging businesses to close early. Methods to ensure the widest possible communication of advice were discussed. It was agreed that advice will be provided to Borough Senior Officers to ensure that a consistent approach is taken across London. 　 For those of you in the business community who may be concerned about travel arrangements for your staff, the latest travel advice can be found on the Transport for London website 　 www.met.police.uk We will ensure that information is shared with businesses regarding any planned public events that could lead to further distubances, to help businesses prepare. 　 Any decision to cancel sporting events will also be shared once known. A mechanism will be put in place by the MPS to ensure that official police advice to close retail premises can be validated - further information to follow. â€Icent; Businesses should be reminded that the latest information from the MPS regarding the incidents of disorder is published daily on 　 www.mpa.gov.uk We understand businesses will be concerned about recovery and getting back to business as usual, and where we can we will support the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), who are responsible for establishing the processes to support this. You may wish to check the MPA website for further details - PM statement on disorder in England - http://www.number10.gov.uk/ http://bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2011/Aug/public-disorder-business-supportfor the full statement. Overnight Develop ments - www.met.police.uk/disordersuspects/Update Last night we saw a second night where levels of disorder were significantly lower and the large numbers of officers on the streets and robust response to any emerging issues prevented any significant disorder. The overall situation remains relatively calm. In some areas of London people had gathered to 'reclaim the streets' from looters, particularly in Eltham, Enfield and the Oxford Street area; however there were no reports of community related retaliation. Arrests of people in connection with violence, disorder and looting, and the recovery of a variety of stolen goods including TVs and mobile phones continues. Current Policing Resources - Updated The MPS have had significant numbers of officers on the streets of London. We will continue with similar numbers tonight to ensure a proportionate policing response can be maintained. This will be reviewed on a daily basis. We continue to receive officers on mutual aid from other police forces, however this is subject to continual review as some mutual aid is, understandably, being redirected away from the MPS to cover demand from other areas nationally. Boroughs continue to work closely with their local business community to assess the impact of the disorder. Ongoing resilience and contingency planning is in place to ensure a proportionate policing response can be maintained. Key Meetings Today - Updated COBRA (Chaired by the Prime Minister) has taken place again this morning. Investigation - Updated The following update has been received from the Operation Withern team who are responsible for the investigation into the disorder: There have been 888 arrests since Saturday. 371 people have been charged for a range of offences. 270 remain in custody within the MPS. Between 18:00hrs on Wednesday 10th August and 06:00hrs on Thursday 11th August, 127 arrests have been made across London, again for various offences in connection with the disorder. We are enensuring that suspects are dealt with quickly leading to 95 prisoners who have been processed through courts overnight (240 in total have been processed to date). A significant number of these have been remanded in custody to appear at Crown Court. Approximately 50% have been juveniles. The crime investigation is extensive. There have been 550 crime scenes in total, of which 140 remain cordoned to allow for forensic and other investigation. Steve Kavanagh, Deputy Assistant Commissioner said: "In the early hours of this morning we started knocking on doors to arrest people. We have got more than 100 warrants which we will be working our way through over the coming hours and days. "With so many officers on duty we want to use their time by going out there and arresting burglars, robbers and thieves - those people who cause concern and crime in our communities. "Some of those warrants are also directly linked to Operation Withern's ongoing investigation." Information provided by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) - Update The IPCC will be holding an anniversary appeal at the scene of Mark Duggan's death in Haringey tomorrow evening (Friday 12th August) between 18:00 hours and 19:00 hours. There has been consultation between the IPCC and the local borough and Independent Advisory Groups regarding the arrangements for this event. How can your busi ness assist the investigation? In order to assist with the reactive investigation we ask that you continue to consider the following points: Businesses should do all they can to ensure that their premises are as secure as can be. Victims of looting can expect police to seize CCTV footage. Businesses should ensure that footage is not erased and should be kept out of sight should looters gain access to premises and take the opportunity to destroy the recording equipment. If you have any information that may help us please get in touch with the Investigation Team on 020 8345 4142. Disorder Suspects Wanted Operation With ern continues to investigate the serious disorder and violence that affected parts of London. We continue releasing images of suspects, which can be viewed at We are also publishing images of those wanted in connection with the disorder on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolitanpolice/ Visit the link to see if you recognise any of the people we wish to speak to. Anyone with information is reminded to call our incident room on 020 8345 4142. www.neighbourhoodlink.met.police.uk How can your business receive more information? In response to a request made to Commander Rodhouse at the Strategic Business Meeting, the MPS introduced a 24/7 capability to receive, and where feasible, to disseminate information to businesses. Neighbourhood Link is a community messaging service from the MPS that provides news and information about policing activity or initiatives, crime prevention advice as well as major incidents affecting your area. You may wish to consider subscribing to the official police messaging system 'Neighbourhood Link'. To subscribe to this service please visit: Those who wish to make a comment about the policing of the disorder can do so online at You can also follow live updates from the Metropolitan Police via Twitter on www.twitter.com/metpoliceuk Regular updates will also be published on the MPS website In the event of an emergency, call the police on 999. If you do not require an emergency police response, please call 101. www.met.police.uk. You may wish to take the following precautionary measures:www.london-fire.gov.uk or follow their tweets on Twitter @Londonfirewww.met.police.uk;CommunitiesTogether@met.police.uk â€I Via your local police station; or â€I If you find that your Business has been damaged by disorder then you must ensure the police are called at the earliest opportunity. It is vital that you preserve the premises, and don't touch or move anything if possible so we can c onsider any forensic opportunities. If the matter is urgent then you should ring 999 or otherwise the new 101 number. A police officer will attend and discuss with you the best course of action for us to secure evidence to afford us the best chance to catch the criminals and the timescales to get your business back up and running at the earliest opportunity. If your Business is behind police cordons or otherwise secured by us then you should contact the investigation team on 020 8345 4142. By speaking to your local Safer Neighbourhoods team. How can you and your business help the police? Through the MPS Communities Together Strategic Engagement Team at: This email address is staffed 24/7 but they will not routinely respond to emails unless additional information is required. You can also help us by assisting in the identification of people that have been looting, rioting and committing crime. Anyone with information should call our incident room on 020 8345 4142. Alternatively you can call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111. We also continue to publish images of people wanted in connection with the disorder. You can find the pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolitanpolice/ Visit the link to see if you recognise any of the people we wish to speak to. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 　 H ow can businesses report a crime? In an emergency always call 999, otherwise you can contact us by: â€Icent; Calling 101 to report a crime that has already happened, seek crime prevention advice or make us aware of any policing issues in your local area; â€I Via our website at Fire Risk Fires can be used as a tactic to provide a focal point for protesters seeking to attract extensive media attention. They can also be used to destroy evidence of criminality and distract emergency services, drawing them into confrontational situations . Fire risk assessmen t and arson prevention arrangements should be reviewed accordingly. Simple good housekeeping measures such as the removal of any flammable and combustible materials stored adjacent to the premises, for example, stacks of pallets or waste materials, can reduce risk as these items can be easily ignited and any fires started in them can quickly spread to your building. Reduce the storage of flammable materials and stock near to windows and entrance. Ensure that first aid fire fighting equipment and extinguishers are maintained and available to deal with any small fires. Staff should be properly trained to use any equipment provided and instructed to avoid unnecessary risk. If there is any doubt, evacuate all persons from the building immediately. Particular attention should be given to arrangements to secure the safety of staff and customers from fire. Fires started using accelerants such as petrol bombs can spread very quickly, cutting off escape routes. Accelerants can cause very rapid fire spread and increase the risk that the entire building will become involved in fire, especially where there is a delay in any fire service response due to the security situation. Past experience suggests that in these situations some people consider remaining on their property to protect it from looting and damage. However, due to the risk of rapid fire spread, this can be extremely hazardous and has led to fatalities in previous events. Refuge in the upper floors of a building that has been targeted should be avoided as it is easy to become trapped. For information surrounding fire safety and prevention, as well as the response from the London Fire Brigade to the disorder, businesses are advised to visit the website When to contact the Investigation Team We are appealing for members of the public only to contact the Operation Withern Investigation Team number (020 8345 4142) if they have specific information about those individual s who have been involved in the violence and disorder that has occurred across London over the past few days. However, the team are receiving a significant number of calls that are not directly related to their investigation. These calls are impeding the ability of those with relevant information to get through to officers. How can my business help protect itself? Helpful 'Crime Prevention' advice has already been shared. This can be found on our website at 1. Where possible retail premises should be suitably staffed with security guards. 2. Ensure staff report any suspicious activity to security and/or police. 3. Consider r egular checks of the building and surrounding area. 4. Identify areas that are vulnerable to forced entry. 5. Make sure all service doors are kept locked and secure when not in use 6. Ensure your CCTV system is fully operational. 7. In case of an emergency is there a record of the names of keyholders who can be contacted. 8. Consider removing high value goods from display windows overnight. 9. Consider keeping as little cash as possible on the premises. 10. Ensure that your premises are secure and if fitted your alarm systems are fully operational. 11. In the event of a situation that does not require an emergency police response, call 101. 12. In the event of an emergency, call the emergency number 999. In addition we would ask all businesses to consider their local environment. Where rubble, builders skips, flammable liquids, gas canisters etc are visible these should be locked away or removed completely from the area. It would also aid some investigations if lighting in the area is well maintained and working, with brightness levels set to higher levels than normal. www.met.police.ukwww.met.police.uk/contacts/Update The Prime Minister has today announced a multi-million pound suppor t package for local businesses and communities following the recent incidents of disorder across England. Please refer to The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are working with local enterprise partnerships, local authorities and business organisations to ensure affected businesses have access to practical advice, information and support to get back on their feet as quickly as possible. Please visit the link below which sets out the help and advice that Government will be offering to affected businesses:
	For further information, please contact your nearest police station: Romford　Police Station Telephone: 101 Opening Hours: 24 hours a day