A significant milestone to help reduce shoplifting, retail crime, antisocial behaviour (ASB) and violence in Devon and Cornwall has been achieved following the merger of two not-for-profit business-crime organisations.
UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) – supported by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) – and the National Retail Crime Alliance (NRCA) have joined forces to provide police with reliable, high-quality intelligence and crime reporting from businesses nationwide across retail, hospitality, freight, rural and night-time economies.
It means that businesses – from independents to major national chains – and the police will be able to work more closely together to prevent crime, seek convictions and tackle persistent offenders. NRCA members include Tesco, Co-op Group, Brewers, JD, Matalan, One Stop, Wickes and Spar.
In April 2025, the OPCC began the rollout of business crime reduction solution UKPAC by funding initial 12-months free subscriptions in Torquay and has resulted in successful convictions. It is now available across Devon and Cornwall with plans to continue with its expansion as a single, national body.
UKPAC’s secure, multi-sector reporting hub and wide business membership has been combined with NRCA’s national intelligence, offender data, and analytical capability. All income will be reinvested into prevention tools, intelligence, offender management solutions and joint policing initiatives.
Existing and new members will now receive more benefits from the collaboration which prioritises the safety of staff, customers, communities and local economies. The two organisations will still trade and be known by their individual names.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “A key priority in my Police and Crime plan is theft which is why I have ensured a concerted effort is being made to tackle shoplifting through more visible policing and funding crime reporting system UKPAC.
“It has proved to be a quicker and easier way for traders to report any crime in just a few minutes via an app or online portal and share intelligence among the business community. UKPAC analysts can then build robust cases ready for prosecution.
“Its success will now be greatly increased thanks to the merger with NRCA and I look forward to hearing about the great results it achieves, also working alongside Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) to offer a more collaborative and effective approach to combating retail crime.
“I encourage everyone to sign up the scheme because it really is making a difference.”
Gareth Lewis, chairman of UKPAC said: “This merger creates a single, trusted collaborative partner for policing — one that understands the operational pressures and can deliver reliable, high-quality intelligence and reporting from businesses nationwide.”
For more information about UKPAC and to sign up visit https://uk-pac.com/