A crime-reporting app is helping to cut shoplifting and secure convictions.
The UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) app, funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, launched in June and has supported shopkeepers in Lymington in tackling crime.
A total of 414 months of custodial sentences have been handed down across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight thanks to evidence from the app, with one offender jailed for 21 months for 93 shoplifting offences.
Ms Jones, said: "I am delighted to see the positive impact that UKPAC has had in Lymington.
"The improved relationship and strong bond between traders and police is testament to how this initiative can help us to combat business crime.
"They are telling me that they feel so much safer, because of having the app on their phone.
"They feel that they have a closer relationship with police officers, the local Bobby and the PCSOs.
"It feels to me, that policing in the town of Lymington has become stronger and better as a direct result of the UKPAC rollout here."
In Lymington, 31 shops have signed up to the scheme and reported a drop in shoplifting, from 16 offences in January and 15 in February to just four in September and seven in October.
The app has logged 54 reports in the town, leading to a 100 per cent investigation success rate.
It has also helped secure charges and convictions for one offender responsible for 29 offences, and identified five known offenders travelling into the area.
UKPAC allows retailers to quickly report crimes, upload CCTV evidence, and share images without needing to call 101.
The system uses artificial intelligence to link offenders to incidents in other towns, helping police build stronger cases.
Gareth Lewis, chairman of UKPAC, said: "The UKPAC membership in Lymington is a proactive and engaged community.
"Members have embraced the direct-to-police reporting model, which makes it easier for them to report crimes to the police and enables Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to efficiently handle, process, and deliver effective outcomes based on the high-quality evidence provided."
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