Working in partnership with UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC), SentrySIS technology is transforming retail crime reporting, helping police identify prolific offenders, accelerate investigations and achieve significantly better outcomes.
A major retail crime reporting initiative involving Co-op, Devon & Cornwall Police, UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) and SentrySIS has demonstrated the significant impact that technology and effective partnership working can have on tackling retail crime.
New figures released by Co-op today reveal that retail crime reports submitted through SentrySIS achieved a solve rate of almost 60%, compared with Devon & Cornwall Police's average of 30.6% for shop theft reported through traditional channels.
The results represent an important milestone for SentrySIS and its partnership with UKPAC, demonstrating how technology, high-quality digital evidence and closer collaboration between businesses and police can transform the way retail crime is reported, investigated and resolved.
Following the success of the trial, SentrySIS is now being activated across all Co-op stores in Devon and Cornwall, with discussions underway regarding expansion into additional police force areas.
The Results Speak for Themselves: The Measurable Impact of SentrySIS on Retail Crime
The results announced by Co-op highlight substantial improvements achieved through the initiative.
- Almost 60% crime solve rate – approaching double the 30.6% average for shop theft reported through traditional channels.
- Crimes recorded and allocated in as little as 30 minutes – compared with processes that could previously take up to seven days.
- 35% reduction in average investigation times – from 54 days to just 35 days for investigations to be completed and assigned an outcome.
- Improved identification of prolific offenders – helping police connect incidents involving the same individuals and build stronger cases.
- Reduced administrative burden – providing investigating officers with digital evidence at the point of reporting, reducing the need to return to retailers to obtain CCTV and supporting information.
These results demonstrate the value of moving beyond conventional reporting methods and providing police with the information and evidence they need from the outset.
How SentrySIS Is Transforming Retail Crime Reporting
At SentrySIS, our objective has always been straightforward: to make it easier for businesses to report crime and give police the information, intelligence and digital evidence they need to investigate offences effectively.
Traditional retail crime reporting can be time-consuming for store colleagues and resource-intensive for police. Incomplete reports, missing CCTV, delays obtaining witness statements and disconnected information can all slow down investigations.
SentrySIS addresses these challenges by bringing crime reporting, intelligence management and digital evidence together within one secure platform.
Through our Direct to Police Reporting technology, authorised businesses can submit detailed crime reports directly into the receiving police force's SentrySIS environment.
The platform supports:
- Direct crime reporting: Retailers can submit shop theft and other supported crime reports through a structured online process.
- Digital evidence management: CCTV footage, suspect images, photographs, receipts and supporting documentation can be uploaded and linked directly to the incident.
- MG11 witness statements: Integrated functionality enables witness statements to be prepared, reviewed and electronically signed.
- Digital evidence packs: Reports and supporting material can be brought together into structured evidence packs, reducing administrative work.
- Report quality controls: Built-in checks help ensure the required information and evidence are provided before reports are submitted.
- Secure police access: Submitted reports and associated evidence are available to authorised officers within their police environment, supported by access controls and audit trails.
This approach reduces unnecessary duplication, improves the quality of information received and enables officers to begin reviewing evidence much earlier in the investigative process.
Rather than simply digitising an existing reporting form, SentrySIS provides an integrated process connecting the retailer, the evidence and the investigating police force.
Identifying Repeat Offenders and Building Stronger Cases
One of the most important findings from Devon & Cornwall Police is the significant concentration of retail crime among repeat offenders.
According to the force's findings, almost 90% of identified shop theft offenders are repeat offenders, with just 50 individuals responsible for approximately a quarter of all shop theft offences across the force area.
This demonstrates why intelligence sharing and the ability to connect incidents are so important.
An individual offence may appear relatively minor when considered in isolation. However, when multiple incidents involving the same suspect can be linked across different stores, locations and dates, police can develop a much clearer picture of persistent offending.
SentrySIS supports this process by enabling authorised users to record incidents, associate reports with identified or suspected offenders and share relevant intelligence within appropriate access and information-sharing arrangements.
By bringing reports, offender intelligence and supporting digital evidence together, the platform helps retailers, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and police identify patterns of criminal activity and support more targeted investigations.
The objective is not simply to report more crime. It is to turn better reporting into better intelligence, stronger investigations and improved outcomes.
SentrySIS and UK Partners Against Crime: Connecting Businesses and Police
Central to the initiative is the partnership between SentrySIS and UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC), which brings together technology, business crime reduction expertise and collaborative working arrangements to support a more coordinated response to retail crime.
UKPAC works with businesses, retailers, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and policing partners to support crime prevention, intelligence sharing and more effective crime reporting.
SentrySIS provides the underlying technology that enables these organisations to securely report incidents, manage intelligence, share relevant information and submit digital evidence directly to participating police forces.
Together, SentrySIS and UKPAC support an approach that connects businesses and policing partners, helping to overcome some of the traditional barriers to effective retail crime reporting.
The Co-op and Devon & Cornwall Police initiative demonstrates how this partnership model can work in practice.
Retail colleagues can submit detailed crime reports and supporting evidence through SentrySIS, while authorised police officers receive the information within their own dedicated system, enabling investigations to progress more efficiently.
This approach offers significant opportunities for national retailers, independent businesses, Business Improvement Districts and Business Crime Reduction Partnerships seeking to improve reporting standards and strengthen their relationships with local police.
Importantly, the model is designed to be scalable, supporting collaboration across individual towns, wider regions and multiple policing areas.
By combining UKPAC's crime reduction partnership framework with SentrySIS technology, businesses and police can work together more effectively to identify offenders, improve the quality of evidence and support better criminal justice outcomes.
Positive Feedback from Police and Retailers
The results have also received strong support from those directly involved in the initiative.
Chris Chaloner, Business Crime Sergeant for Devon & Cornwall Police, described the pilot results as extremely impressive, highlighting how the immediate availability of evidence enables investigations to progress more quickly. He also emphasised the importance of linking crimes involving repeat offenders and using high-quality evidence to support earlier intervention, more charges and improved outcomes.
Chris said "The results from this pilot have been extremely impressive. The evidence provided through the platform is available to officers immediately, allowing investigations to progress much more quickly. Crucially, this approach helps us to link crimes and identify and target those prolific offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail crime. We know that a relatively small number of individuals commit a large volume of offences. By working closely with retailers, building effective partnership and receiving high-quality evidence we can take earlier action, secure more charges and achieve better outcomes for our high streets and communities."
For retailers, the benefits are equally important.
Alastair Woodburn, a Co-op Store Manager in Exeter and one of the early adopters of SentrySIS, explained how the system had fundamentally changed the way his store reports crime. By simplifying the reporting process and ensuring police receive the information they need immediately, store colleagues can have greater confidence that incidents are being dealt with effectively.
Aliastair said "The system has fundamentally changed the way we report crime. Our store was one of the first to adopt it. It is quicker to use and gives us confidence that the information police officers need is available to them immediately - and the outcomes are fantastic. Retail crime can be challenging on the frontline, but it is a rewarding job too. The majority of people rely on and value a local community shop, unfortunately it is just a small number of offenders carrying out most of the crime. This process Identifies and links offenders - building the full picture. Co-op has invested significantly in safety and security measures, and this latest measure sends a loud message to offenders, it clearly shows just how effective it can be when retailers and police work together to tackle the prolific offenders that do so much harm in communities."
These experiences demonstrate why effective technology must work for everyone involved, from colleagues on the retail frontline to business crime reduction teams and investigating police officers.
Supporting Retailers, BCRPs and Police Forces Across the UK
While the Co-op results represent a significant achievement, SentrySIS is not a platform developed for a single retailer or policing initiative.
Our technology already supports police forces, national retailers, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs), local authorities and private security organisations across the UK.
Working with partners such as UKPAC, SentrySIS is helping organisations move towards a more connected approach to business crime management.
The platform provides organisations with the tools to report crime, manage incidents, share intelligence, communicate securely and manage digital evidence.
For retailers, this means a more efficient way to report incidents, protect colleagues and support investigations.
For BIDs and BCRPs, it means the ability to coordinate local businesses, identify repeat offenders and develop a more informed picture of crime affecting their communities.
For police, it means receiving structured reports and supporting evidence through a dedicated environment, reducing administrative demands and enabling more effective investigative activity.
The Co-op and Devon & Cornwall Police trial provides a compelling example of what this joined-up approach can achieve when implemented effectively.
The Future of Retail Crime Reporting
Retail crime continues to have a substantial impact on businesses, employees and communities across the UK.
Although Co-op has reported reductions in retail crime nationally, offending remains significantly above pre-pandemic levels, underlining the importance of continued investment in prevention, reporting and enforcement.
The latest results demonstrate the potential for modern crime reporting technology and coordinated partnership working to contribute to a more effective response.
With SentrySIS being activated across Co-op stores throughout Devon and Cornwall, and discussions underway with other police forces, there is a clear opportunity to extend the benefits of this approach.
Through our ongoing partnership with UK Partners Against Crime, SentrySIS is helping to bridge the gap between businesses and police — turning crime reports into actionable intelligence and digital evidence that can support better outcomes.
The findings reinforce our commitment to developing practical, secure and scalable technology that makes crime reporting easier, investigations faster and communities safer.
Discover What SentrySIS Can Do for Your Organisation
Whether you are a national retailer looking to improve crime reporting across hundreds of locations, a police force seeking to improve investigative efficiency, or a BCRP looking to strengthen local intelligence sharing, SentrySIS provides the technology to connect your organisation with the wider crime reduction network.
Working with partners including UK Partners Against Crime, we are committed to supporting a more effective and collaborative approach to tackling business crime across the UK.
To learn more about SentrySIS Direct to Police Reporting, digital evidence management and intelligence-sharing technology, visit SentrySIS: Police Constabularies or contact our team to arrange a demonstration.