PCC Donna Jones leads South’s fight against retail crime with major brand

A new ground-breaking crime reporting platform has been launched this week in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with 22 Sports Direct stores across the two counties signing up thanks to an investment from Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones.

The PCC is backing the cutting-edge UKPAC system to support local businesses as well as freeing up police and shopkeepers time. Over 120 businesses have already signed up in the two counties, including Frasers Group, owners of Sports Direct, who hosted the launch at their Whiteley Shopping Centre store in Fareham.

UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) revolutionises how businesses report crime and engage with the police, while the Police and Crime Commissioner funding of £177,548 ensures that businesses across the two counties can access UKPAC free of charge until April 2026. This provides businesses with a powerful, proactive tool that helps them report crime quickly, while its Crime Hub also helps police track offenders, share intelligence and put prolific shop thieves before a court.

A trial of UKPAC in Portsmouth resulted in 58 repeat offenders being prosecuted, thanks to detailed evidence of more than 900 crimes.

The British Retail Consortium Crime Survey 2025 discovered that only 10% of retail crime is reported to police, meaning thousands of thefts and incidents go unpunished. It revealed that shoplifting has continued to rise sharply since the previous year, with 20.4 million incidents recorded (up 22%), accounting for £2.2 billion in losses for businesses (up 21%).

The survey found that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary provides the most effective police response to retail crime in the country, however, retail crime in the two counties has risen by 14.8% in the year up to December 2024, going from 13,705 incidents to 15,743 – highlighting the urgent need for a better reporting system.

How does UKPAC work?

The platform provides businesses with a secure, online crime-reporting tool that is simple to use and fully compliant with data protection laws. The system uses smart technology and artificial intelligence to track patterns of criminal behaviour, helping police identify repeat offenders, gather evidence, and take faster action against repeat offenders of shop theft and crimes against businesses.

UKPAC’s independent crime intelligence hub tracks repeat offenders across the two counties and beyond, linking crime reports and sending information back to police with supporting evidence for them to submit to court. It will save thousands of police deployments and also means retailers won’t need to call 101 to report a crime.

UKPAC will provide support for retailers, including advice on crime prevention and help with civil prosecutions as well as Dedicated Business Crime Liaison Officers (BCLOs) to improve communication between businesses and police.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, said: “Shop theft affects retailers all over Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Shoplifting crimes have been going up year-on-year with the majority of shoplifting carried out by repeat offenders who target stores every day, leaving businesses feeling helpless – constantly fighting to protect stock and staff. It’s been an ongoing battle for support but UKPAC will help businesses who have been crying out for a simple way to report crimes and for assurances that they will be investigated.

“This is the biggest investment I have made so far to tackle retail crime. UKPAC gives businesses a simple way to report crime and provides police the evidence they need to catch offenders and put them before a court. It frees up police time, it means shopkeepers don’t have to ring 101 to report every crime, they can submit their own evidence and they will be automatically updated when offenders are brought to justice.

“Shopkeepers often know who their offenders are and this platform will give them peace of mind and reassurance that action is being taken. It will support retailers and protect staff from threats, abuse and violence. It will make your town centres safer, and help to drive down crime.”

Chief Inspector Marcus Cator, said: “Many incidents of shoplifting and associated criminality do not get reported to police by our wider retail communities. Even when they are reported, sufficient evidence is not always available to allow police to take effective action.

“Over the past year, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has been working with UKPAC to test the ways in which we can improve our joint service, resulting in 58 repeat offenders in Portsmouth being prosecuted, thanks to detailed evidence of more than 900 crimes. The courts have supported strong sentences in these instances, which has had a real impact on reducing the crimes that these offenders commit. This reduces the need to deploy officers to gather the evidence where a deployment is not required, and enables them to take swift action with these investigations.”

UKPAC Chairman, Gareth Lewis, said: “We’re proud to be working alongside Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones on this forward-thinking initiative to tackle business crime in Hampshire.

“The impact of business crime goes far beyond financial loss. It affects staff morale, customer confidence, and the overall sense of safety in our communities. By improving how incidents are reported and evidence is shared, we can support the police to take faster, more targeted action and reduce the disruption and harm caused to local businesses.”

Further information on UKPAC and the benefits to businesses across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can be found at www.uk-pac.com