Introducing...Warwickshire Business Watch

My name is Alex Williams and my role as Business Crime Advisor for Warwickshire Business Watch is to be the single point of contact for businesses and partner agencies, supplying up-to-date information on current crime trends and cyber threats for the businesses of Warwickshire.

I am here to serve the business community on behalf of Warwickshire County Council and will look to empower businesses by looking into the benefits of increasing security, not just physically but also online through the use of 'Cyber Essentials' - a government-backed, industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against cyber attacks.

Working closely with the Police Crime Prevention Design Advisor and colleagues from Trading Standards across the county, I will not only work with groups of businesses through the Chamber of Trade, Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses to name but a few, but I will also visit repeat victims to look at ways to minimise their vulnerability.

Warwickshire Business Watch is a multi-functional platform with the aim of providing reassurance and practical advice to businesses in relation to business and cyber crime. It is a partnership between the Warwickshire County Council Community Safety and Substance Misuse Team, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Police. The website is managed by the Business Crime Advisor, a Police Crime Prevention Design Advisor and two police volunteers.

On the Warwickshire Business Watch website, businesses can access business and cyber advice, links to other groups who provide support including Trading Standard, Safe in Warwickshire and Action Fraud, and also the details of the team behind Business Watch and their contact details.

As well as holding free and impartial advice for businesses, the website offers the option to sign up to the free Warwickshire Business Watch alert scheme, similar to that of Warwickshire Rural Watch, to receive alerts on all information of relevance on the topics of business and cyber crime.

The alerts will be used to notify businesses of crimes that could potentially affect them in their area, information on cyber threats but also general advice on staying safe online.

To access the Warwickshire Business Watch website please visit http://www.warwickshirebusinesswatch.co.uk or follow us on twitter @WarksBusiness.

If you would like more information on Warwickshire Business Watch please contact myself, Alex Williams, the Business Crime Advisor on 07920 814897. I am here to help, in any way I can, the business community combat cyber-crime so please do get in touch.

I will be giving further updates in each issue of Warwickshire Means Business from now on - so watch this space!