POLICE, CHAMBER TEAM UP AGAINST CRIME

There's no such thing as a victimless crime. Even crimes against businesses hurt the bottom line and, in turn, may hurt consumers as the losses are passed along. Such is the case with shoplifting and bad checks. These two factors can account for major losses for some retailers.

But the Cape Girardeau Police Department is teaming up with the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce to introduce a new business protection program. It's a good idea that will not only benefit businesses, but consumers as well.

Think of it as a kind of Neighborhood Watch program for businesses.

The effort kicks off with a four-hour seminar Jan. 28. Police officers will provide advice on how businesses can prevent crime losses. It's not too late for businesses to jump aboard.

Businesses have a number of security issues to consider: bad checks, cutting down on credit-card fraud; preventing burglaries and robberies, screening potential employees. On-site security and the arrest and prosecution of in-store crimes are other critical issues for businesses.

All these factors are in addition to running the business. No wonder small businesses can face such an uphill battle for success.

Communication will be an essential part of the program's success. It is important that police keep participating businesses informed about crime trends. That would apply to active groups of shoplifters in the area or a rash of bad check writers.

In turn, the businesses need to communicate to the police as to their needs. And all the manuals in the world won't work if businesses don't follow simple policies concerning check writing and other crime prevention measures.

The call for the program came from area businesses. A similar program operated in the 1980s, called Business Watch. It proved a success and resulted in several arrests. But, like any program, success can be its own demise. When crime drops, people often become less interested in prevention.

Cape Girardeau County's overall crime rate was down in 1998. But incidents of bad-check writing remained fairly constant. More than 6,000 bad checks were turned over to the county for prosecution in 1998. Of those, only 156 were prosecuted. Over 97 percent of all checks, worth more than $230,000, were paid before criminal charges had to be filed. That's certainly impressive.

Successful crime prevention must be a team approach. Law enforcement needs the eyes and ears of the business community and residents to catch criminals. And businesses need the expertise of law enforcement to take a bite out of crime. Together business and law enforcement can make a difference that benefits commerce and consumers.