Safer Business Network

Have you ever felt vulnerable but didn’t know where to go? It is a feeling experienced by almost everyone at one time or another - a date that’s gone wrong, an unsafe domestic situation, being followed on your way home, or just feeling uneasy by someone’s actions or presence while out and about. Vulnerability comes in many forms and can happen anywhere, at any time. In these situations, we all need somewhere safe. Safe Havens are a practical way for businesses to let people know that a form of support is easily available if they need help. But what is a Safe Haven and how can your business become one? A Safe Haven is ‘a place of temporary refuge for a person to facilitate their onward journey’. For your business or organisation, this means offering basic, practical support to those in need – whether it’s providing a friendly face, calling a taxi, supplying a phone charger, or signposting individuals to specialist services. In some cases, it might even mean contacting the police to ensure their safety. Who can become a Safe Haven? A wide range of premises can become Safe Havens, including cafes, shops, pubs, libraries, hotels, and other public venues. We will provide you and your staff with the necessary training to get started. Follow the link here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/erwQYhZN How does my business become a Safe Haven? To become an official Safe Haven, your business or organisation must meet a few essential criteria: • Access to water • Electricity • Access to a toilet • Wi-Fi • Charging point for mobiles • Safe Haven logo displayed (stickers provided for free) • Trained staff (follow link above for more info) • Relevant Public Liability Insurance • CCTV If you’d like your business or organisation to become a Safe Haven, get in touch today and we’ll help you get the process started. https://lnkd.in/dpZNNtyy You can also download the Safe Haven app: https://lnkd.in/eNqQZ7yv Together, we can create safer streets, vibrant communities, and better business. City of London Police Metropolitan Police Crime Prevention Association City of London Corporation Our Safer City Eren Bessim Hannah Wadey Sarah Walker Adam Ratcliffe

📢 Join Us at The Pub Show! 🍻 On Tuesday, 18th March, I will be discussing "Safer Pubs and Stronger Communities: The Role of Effective Training" alongside Sam Mathys, Ian Torpey, and Ian Graham at The Pub Show. 📍 Visit the Safer Business Network Training Stand 📅 17th – 19th March 🔹 Showcasing our partnership with Licensing Connect 🎟️ Get your tickets here: The Pub Show – Safer Business Network Training See you at ExCeL London! 👋🍻 David Dadds Hannah Wadey Adam Ratcliffe Sarah Walker Edmund Ashton Cameron Young #PUB25 #WAVE #TRAINING #SAFERCOMMUNITIES

🌃 Exploring the City Through a New Lens 🌃 Our colleague Sarah Walker recently took part in the Right to the City Artist Walk in the City of London—an inspiring piece of work bringing together women of all ages to reimagine urban spaces at night. Walking a mapped route, the group reflected on their feelings of safety, identifying both the positives and the challenges of different areas. What makes a space feel welcoming? What elements create unease? And, most importantly, how can we reshape our cities to be safer and more inclusive for everyone? Following the walk, each participant created a collage to express their experiences and visions for a city where everyone feels safe and empowered. These creative reflections highlight the importance of urban design, lighting, and community spaces in fostering a sense of security. A huge thank you to Sarah for sharing her experience! Initiatives and work like this remind us of the power of collective voices in shaping the future of our cities. 🏙️✨ #Righttothecity #womenssafety #differentlens #collectivevioces #inclusivity #InternationalWomensDay #IWD25 #IWD2025 Hannah Wadey Eren Bessim Adam Ratcliffe Rachelle O'Sullivan Beth Nash City of London Police City Group Security Publica Alesja Gilvear Our Safer City

🌟 Thank You for an Inspiring Women's Night Safety Summit! 🌟 On Thursday, 27th February 2025, we had the privilege of hosting the Women's Night Safety Summit at St. Michael’s & All Angels, Shoreditch. The event was a fantastic opportunity for delegates to hear from businesses and organisations from a number of industry sectors about the best practices that are making a difference in creating safer spaces for women. A massive thank you to our headline sponsor, Mitie for their generous support and commitment to this important cause. 🙏 A special thanks to our wonderful comperes Saskia Garner and Lisa Baskott for expertly guiding us through the day and ensuring everything ran smoothly. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to all of our exhibitors who showcased their valuable work WalkSafe, Sheroes Collective, Night Time Industries Association, imabi, Local Alcohol Partnerships Group and to our incredible speakers for sharing insights on how organisations and businesses signed to the Charter are taking meaningful steps towards improving safety. 👏 The conversations held were both empowering and enlightening, and we’re excited to continue the momentum for change across communities, organisations, businesses and industry sectors. Let’s keep working together to make women’s safety a priority everywhere. #WomensNightSafety #BestPractice #Communities #Empowerment #TogetherWeCan Enfield Council UCL NHS Transport for London Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) Association of Convenience Stores UKHospitality Phillipe Giovanni Chiarella Hannah Wadey Eren Bessim Sarah Walker Rachelle O'Sullivan Adam Ratcliffe

As a Business Crime Reduction Partnership, one of our key roles is to support and upskill businesses across London so they can better understand and respond to crime affecting their communities. Yesterday, in partnership with the Soho Business Alliance, we hosted a Raising Awareness on Gangs and Exploitation (RAGE) training session delivered by Westminster City Council’s Integrated Gangs Exploitation Unit (IGXU). This session gave businesses valuable insight into criminal gangs, exploitation, and how these issues impact the local area. Some of the key topics covered included: - Understanding exploitation and grooming - Gangs and their evolving trends - The role of females in gangs - The impact on schools in Westminster - Resales – benefits and risks - Why reporting and recording matters - What support services are available What’s even more important is the real impact these sessions have. Following this training, businesses have already been able to identify potential gang activity and share intelligence with us. We actively pass this information on to the Metropolitan Police local Town Centre Teams and Robbery Squad, helping to build a clearer picture of organised gang activity in the area. This kind of collaboration is exactly why these sessions matter. A huge thank you to Becki - Westminster City Council IGXU for delivering such an insightful session and to all the businesses who took part! Rachelle O'Sullivan Taylor Jade Mann Jo M. Natalie B. Becki Partridge Mark Chalmers Hannah Wadey Adam Ratcliffe Jackie Clode-Dickens National Association of Business Crime Partnerships Ltd National Business Crime Centre David Hunt Emmanuella Fadire #BusinessCrimeReduction #CommunitySafety #Soho #WestEnd #Training #SaferCommunities #WorkingTogether #CrimePrevention

Great to meet with Stephanie Coombes from Opal SOAC team this week to talk about tackling serious organised acquisitive crime and how we can work more closely together. For those who don’t know, OPAL is the national intelligence unit focused on organised crime that spans multiple police force areas, including Scotland and Northern Ireland. They play a key role in gathering intelligence and coordinating responses to high-impact offenders targeting businesses and communities. At Safer Business Network, our intelligence-sharing platforms and partnerships with businesses already give us a unique insight into the groups operating across the different areas we operate in. By sharing this intelligence with OPAL and local police teams, we can help build a clearer picture of organised crime networks and support efforts to disrupt them, whilst always looking for vulnerabilities and exploitation. Discussions included: 🔹 Tactical responses to organised crime groups (OCGs) 🔹 How our intelligence services can support OPAL’s investigations 🔹 Collaborating with retailers to identify and target high-harm offenders By working together across the public and private sector, we can make our high streets and business communities safer. Looking forward to building on this partnership! James Taylor Amanda Blakeman KPM Hannah Wadey Rachelle O'Sullivan George Bagan Taylor Jade Mann Atta ur R. Adam Ratcliffe Business Crime Hub, Metropolitan Police City of London Police Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) UK Home Office Pete O'Doherty National Police Chiefs' Council National Business Crime Centre ShopSafe Security Industry Authority BusinessLDN #SaferBusinessNetwork #OPAL #CrimePrevention #RetailSafety #Partnerships #CommunitySafety #Pegasus

Safer Business Network featured in Professional Security Magazine! 🎉 We were delighted to host Mark Rowe, the Executive Editor of Professional Security Magazine, at our office. During his visit, Mark had the chance to meet our team and gain a deeper understanding of our daily work. As part of his tour, we introduced Mark to important partners at CIS Security Limited, where we visited their control room. We also enjoyed an informative tour of Liberty, guided by Robert Rodriguez MSyI M.ISRM. The day provided a closer look at the impactful work being done to enhance security and safety within the business community. It showcased the power of collaboration and demonstrated how our partnerships drive innovative solutions that lead to safer, more secure communities. It’s exciting to see our collective efforts recognised in Professional Security Magazine, highlighting the significance of these strategic alliances. Be sure to look out for the next issue to read more about Safer Business Network! Link here to this month's issue: https://lnkd.in/e_X22inx Hannah Wadey Adam Ratcliffe Taylor Jade Mann Rachelle O'Sullivan Sara Jane Tetlow Mohammed Qazi Balazs Csanadi George Bagan Domingo De Sousa CIS Security Limited National Association of Business Crime Partnerships Ltd National Business Crime Centre  

Why choose Safer Business Network Training? We understand your training needs and take the personalised approach. Our WAVE and Vulnerability e-learning and courses have been specifically designed with the needs of our learners in mind. We understand that every business, organisation, and individual requires something different from their vulnerability training so a one-size-fits-all course won’t meet their unique needs. That’s why our in-house WAVE/Ask for Angela training is tailored to you and your business or organisation while keeping it affordable. Our aim is to keep as many people in the night-time economy safe as possible and we do this by ensuring our courses are: • Flexible, practical & tailored: Our courses aren’t just theoretical, they’re designed for real-world impact and customised to meet your specific needs. • Affordable & approachable: We offer cost-effective courses for organisations of all sizes, without compromising on quality; access to WAVE training starts at £5+VAT per person (see comments below for discount code) • Led by industry experts: Learn from professionals with frontline experience; our trainers design every bespoke course to ensure it’s relevant and useful. • Not-for-profit: When you choose us, you’re giving back - every penny is reinvested into making communities safer and more resilient. Ready to get your staff trained to spot signs of vulnerability? Get in touch today to learn how SBN Training can help: https://lnkd.in/g2Fc9yxX Together we can create safer streets, vibrant communities, and better business. Eren Bessim Hannah Wadey Adam Ratcliffe Sarah Walker #WAVE #vulnerabilitytraining #saferbusinesses #ukbusinesses #training

🚨 Lunch & Learn: Understanding Cyber Tech-Enabled Abuse 🚨 Join us for our first Lunch & Learn webinar of 2025, where the Met Police Cyber Crime Team will deliver an insightful session on the growing threat of Cyber Tech-Enabled Abuse. As technology becomes more embedded in our daily lives, perpetrators of domestic abuse, stalking, and harassment are increasingly using digital tools to facilitate their crimes. This session will provide valuable insights into how cyber technology is being misused, the challenges it presents, and what can be done to combat it. 📅 Date: 11 March 2025 ⏰ Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM 📍 Location: Online Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the experts. Secure your spot today: https://lnkd.in/e_tMxP2v #LunchAndLearn #CyberCrime #TechEnabledAbuse #OnlineSafety #womenssafety #VAWG Hannah Wadey Adam Ratcliffe Eren Bessim Balazs Csanadi Rachelle O'Sullivan Taylor Jade Mann Mohammed Qazi Swingers - the crazy golf club Metropolitan Police Phee Mann-Bryans Ayesha Fordham Institute of Licensing Sport England Sarah Walker

OSPA Winners 🏆 Proud to share that Our Safer City has won Outstanding Security Partnership at the OSPAs. A huge achievement for everyone involved! At Safer Business Network, we’re delighted to be part of this success by delivering the #SafeHaven aspect of the project. A Safe Havens is a temporary stop for anyone who needs support with their onward journey. Businesses are offered simple but effective training to spot and respond to vulnerability, free to all businesses across The City of London. This award is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the commitment of everyone working to create safer spaces and ending violence against women & girls, and domestic abuse. Thank you for the recognition. ‼️If you’re a business or venue looking to become a Safe Haven, get in touch. Together, we can create more places where people feel supported and safe, whatever their circumstances. Lilly Prior Hannah Wadey Eren Bessim Adam Ratcliffe Don Randall MBE City of London Crime Prevention Association City of London Police City of London Corporation Employers' Initiative on Domestic Abuse Susan Bright Ayesha Fordham Heather Butler Peter Lavery FSyI Sarah Jane Cork Ian Dyson QPM DL The City Security Council Stuart Ewen Paul Hewitt The Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) Martin Gill #OSPAWinner #SafeHavens #SaferCities #CommunitySafety #StrongerTogether #CityBIDs