There will be a meeting for shop and business owners in the town centre and the surrounding area to launch Facewatch at Ross Baptist Church on January 12th.

The meeting will run from 2pm until 4pm and local PCSOs and police officers will be on hand to explain what Facewatch is and the benefits.

Inspector Rob Barnett told the Ross Gazette:?“It already runs in Hereford and has reduced retail related crime by about 35%.”

Facewatch is designed to help prevent crime as it allows businesses to share information on possible troublemakers and low-level criminals in a discrete and timely way. It empowers local business owners to support each other in making high-streets, pubs and clubs safer for everyone.

Information can be shared in an instant; allowing Facewatch members to forewarn other town centre colleagues, and the police, about potential causes for concern in an instant. Night club owners and staff can share images and details of customers with bans trying to gain entry to a certain club. This information can then be shared with other club owners and door staff so they can be prepared for the arrival of known troublemakers.

The website can be used to alert local retailers that a local well-known thief is in the area, at the click of a button. However Facewatch is more than just a crime prevention tool it can also have substantial safeguarding benefits. If known vulnerable people go missing; a whole network can be alerted and be on the lookout for missing people who may be known to frequent certain areas.

The use of this website is expected to save numerous hours of officer time that would be spent visiting premises, securing and processing CCTV images. Facewatch allows users to submit images and generate crime reports easily and quickly. Crime reports generated through Facewatch are instantly submitted to officers.

Anyone interested in attending the meeting at Ross Baptist Church in Broad Street, Ross-on-Wye will be welcome.