Apex Radio

Apex Radio Systems was proud to exhibit at this year’s Business Crime Conference, hosted by LANPAC, joining industry leaders, community safety professionals and business crime reduction partners from across the UK to discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today: retail crime.

The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs), local authorities, law enforcement representatives and retailers, all with a shared goal of improving safety across our town and city centre.

For Apex, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase our ShopWatch and PubWatch radio link schemes are helping communities strengthen collaboration, improve communication and respond faster to incidents.

Retail Crime Continues to Challenge Businesses

Retail crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against frontline workers remain significant concerns for businesses across the UK. Shop theft, aggressive behaviour, repeat offenders and organised criminal activity continue to place increasing pressure on retailers and their staff.

As these challenges evolve, businesses need more than isolated security measures. They need connected systems and partnership-led approaches that enable fast, coordinated responses.

At Apex, we believe tackling crime requires communities to work together.

Why Communication Matters

Effective communication can often make the difference between preventing an incident and reacting too late.

Our ShopWatch and PubWatch schemes are designed to provide instant communication between businesses, security teams and key stakeholders, enabling rapid information sharing when incidents occur.

These schemes help create safer environments by delivering:

Instant radio communication between businesses
Faster incident response
Stronger partnership working
Real-time intelligence sharing
Greater protection for frontline staff

When businesses are connected, they are better equipped to identify risks, share intelligence and support one another in real time.

“The ShopWatch scheme at the Metrocentre uses Apex radios providing instant communication between retailers and the control room. Its popularity is growing, enabling security to respond immediately to incidents without the delays often experienced with phones, helping our staff and customers feel safe. – Security Manager, Metrocentre

Building Safer Communities Through Partnership

One of the strongest themes throughout the conference was the importance of collaboration.

Crime reduction cannot be solved by individual businesses working alone. The most successful schemes are built on strong partnerships between retailers, BIDs, councils, police and community safety organisations.

This aligns closely with Apex’s long-standing approach.

For over 35 years, Apex Radio Systems has worked with businesses and community safety partnerships across the UK, helping to build communication networks that improve operational response and support safer public spaces.

Our ShopWatch and PubWatch schemes are not simply about providing radios – they are about enabling connected communities.

By combining reliable communication technology with partnership working and intelligence-led responses, we help towns and cities build more resilient safety networks.

A Valuable Day of Conversations

The Business Crime Conference provided a fantastic platform for meaningful conversations with both existing customers and new contacts.

It was great to meet so many professionals who share our commitment to reducing crime and improving safety in retail and hospitality environments.

From established ShopWatch operators to organisations exploring new ways to strengthen collaboration, there was a clear appetite for solutions that improve communication and support faster decision-making.