Responding to an incident

Your business may already have formal procedures in place for responding to an incident. If this is the case, you should follow the procedures set out by your company.

Reporting an incident 

ALL incidents should be reported to the police. This is incredibly important for your organisation and the police. It is important even if you consider the incident to be small or resolved.

Is it an emergency? Remember, if someone is in danger and you need immediate support, please call 999.

A non-emergency crime against your business or a business you work for, such as theft, or damage to property, should be reported online via Report a Crime, or by calling 101.

To report an incident, you will need:

  • details about yourself or the victim of the crime 
  • the time and date of the incident (if known) 
  • details of offenders or witnesses (if known) 
  • any other information that could help an investigation 

When you report an incident to the police, please be aware that they may not attend. A police response is always risk assessed to ensure that they can respond in person to those most in need.

Incident details are analysed to identify trends. This is very important because it helps to guide where resources are prioritised. Incidents can also be reported anonymously by calling CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111.

Providing support to staff and customers 

Some incidents can be traumatic for staff and customers, especially if they are victims, witnesses or discover the incident.

Depending on the nature of the incident, the police may ask if your staff and/or customers would like to be supported. They may refer them to Victim Support. Victim Support is an independent charity for people affected by crime and traumatic events and they can also be contacted direct on their 24/7 free support line, 08081 689111.

Preserving evidence 

The scene of an incident should be avoided where possible, until you have spoken to the police. It can be tempting to check the situation, tidy and clean an area or immediately make a building secure, however, the scene can provide important evidence.

CCTV can be valuable in helping the police to identify offenders. If you have CCTV, or there is CCTV on other buildings in the vicinity, you should ensure that the recordings are not deleted before they can be reviewed. CCTV footage should be checked, and evidence passed to the police to help with the investigation.