| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND |
| UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| FOR |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND |
| UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| FOR |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| Page |
| Reference and Administrative Details | 1 |
| Report of the Trustees | 2 | to | 4 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 5 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 6 |
| Balance Sheet | 7 | to | 8 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 9 | to | 13 |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| TRUSTEES |
| COMPANY SECRETARY | A M Elcocks |
| REGISTERED OFFICE |
| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER |
| INDEPENDENT EXAMINER | McCabe Ford Williams |
| Chartered Accountants |
| Charlton House |
| Dour Street |
| DOVER |
| Kent |
| CT16 1BL |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04298676) |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 28 February 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019). |
| OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES |
| Objectives and aims |
| The objects of the charitable company are the promotion of crime prevention and education measures within the designated area of Dover, Deal and Sandwich in conjunction with the police, other statutory authorities, community and voluntary organisations; the protection of people and property; the prevention of criminal acts by the encouragement of greater public participation in the prevention of crime and the provision of educational information and practical assistance to the community. |
| The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duties in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit. We have referred to the guidance in the Charity Commission general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that they have set. |
| The charitable company operates under the names: |
| Dover Partnership Against Crime |
| Deal Partnership Against Crime |
| Sandwich Partnership Against Crime |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04298676) |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE |
| Achievements during the period |
| One of our biggest challenges this year has revolved around financial pressures. There have also been a number of events that have occurred that have been outside the control of DPAC, and this has resulted in periods when DPAC has been unable to offer the level of service we would like to. For example, earlier in the year we had a power outage in Deal which resulted in lack of CCTV coverage at the control centre. The fault was reported straight away to the authorities, however it was soon discovered that the power outage was due to a broken cable which was under a road. This took quite some time to resolve as the road needed to be closed, dug up, the cable repaired and checked before normal service could be resumed. During this time, several members reported the fault and lack of CCTV, but we were unable to do anything further until the authorities were able to deal with the situation. This was frustrating for both DPAC and our members. I am pleased to say the fault was corrected and normal services were resumed, albeit sometime later. |
| Another challenge that we faced this year was the need to move the Dover radio mast to another location. We have had the Dover radio mast at the same property for a number of years and it gives us a really good coverage over the area. The property has changed to a new ownership who insisted that we make annual payments for the siting and access to the radio mast. This is a significant increase from a zero rental cost to a figure in excess of £3,000 per annum. This is clearly not an amount that DPAC can afford even if we increase our membership fees. Board members are looking for an alternate location with an appropriate agreement which will reduce or remove this additional cost. We also need to consider the cost of moving the equipment to any new site ensuring that we still have adequate radio coverage. This resulted in two or three board meetings where the sole focus was on our finances as we had entered into an annual agreement which is clearly costing us more than we can afford. |
| After much discussion and debate the board decided on a small increase in fees as our current fees had not changed for many years (since DPAC came into being) and we needed to address this. However, when we looked at the charges of our neighbouring Crime Partnerships, we established that even with our new price increase our fees were still lower than most other partnerships. We hope we are able to resolve this issue in time for our next AGM so that we can report accordingly. |
| The main source of our funding remains through the hire of our radios and membership fees. We have not received any external funding for some significant time (several years) as most places struggle with their own costs and financial cutbacks. While DPAC is a non-profit making organisation we still have costs that have to be met and the cost of everything has increased. The batteries and their chargers are costly to renew and eventually all the radios will need to be replaced. |
| We have updated and revised how we issue invoices to our members making the process more efficient and simpler to follow. We are using the technology already available to us through our 'Free Agent' accounting system to issue invoices without the need for any manual intervention, which will result in a more efficient fee collection. |
| Our membership numbers remain fairly consistent at around 68 although over the last few years as high streets have changed, we have lost some of our members. This is not just applicable to our region it applies to every High Street in the country, so these challenges are not unique. Public Houses have also changed over the last few years with many closures again this is not unique to our region. We have recently gained a few new members but unfortunately this is set off against the numbers we have lost. |
| The number of exclusions that we have in place changes constantly as exclusions expire and new ones are issued. The DISC system has a facility called KPI's which shows our members and our Partners who have access to it where and when issues arise. For example, pubs and clubs have the highest levels of poor behaviour issues while theft is more in retail shops. The largest number of exclusions are from the night time economy. The frustrating part seems to be that our region does not have a huge number of offenders, but the same offenders' names tend to come to our attention a number of times and they tend to be well known. Pub-watch meetings take place about 3 or 4 times per year and various board members attend these meetings. Minutes for these meetings are available, and they are always lively and well attended and are usually held at various members venues. DPAC is not a replacement for the police but if you call the police we are always interested in the outcome (for example, what was the issue, how quickly did they arrive and what action was taken). If you seek an exclusion, please remember to send us an incident report as soon as possible and with as much detail as possible. Our aim is to ensure that exclusions are issued within 14 days of an incident being reported to us. The DISC picture galleries are updated on a regular basis. There has been much in the news about the increase in shoplifting across the whole country and it is something that most police forces have to adapt to and deal with. National statistics show that issues involving theft are being more fiercely contested and offenders are often more aggressive now. |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04298676) |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| Our training this year will be focussed on 2 key areas, and it will be for the Board and our coordinator. We are arranging some online training in Data Protection and Safeguarding. For a small fee we can train up to 5 nominated Board members or nominated people. The Chairman has undertaken some of this training himself and it can be carried out at your own pace and time on a modular basis. As you complete each section you have to answer questions, the pass mark varies but if you pass you get a certificate and if you fail you need to re-read and do the test again. There are also time limits for completion. There will also be some additional training for the DPAC Board Members and some new things for our members including T&C's and Policy updates which will appear on our DISC website. |
| FINANCIAL REVIEW |
| Reserves policy |
| The trustees understand the need to retain sufficient reserves to be able to continue with the charitable company's objectives and meet liabilities as they occur. Income reserves at 28 February 2025 amounted to £30,316 (2024 - £34,406) of which £305 (2024 - £725) was restricted. |
| FUTURE PLANS |
| Business Crime Partnerships are now well established with most areas having some form of partnership in place. Ours has been in place for nearly 25 years. We continue to enhance our relationship with all of our partners, but especially with the Police, and we continue our National Association of Business Crime Partnership membership. We are arranging for the local Police Inspector to visit and address our Board of Management, and we have recently updated our data sharing agreement with the authorities. |
| - We continue to explore how we can expand our membership using new technology through the use of mobile telephones rather than by radio and mast (which limits the range). |
| - We will explore further training for our Board Members and Scheme Co-ordinator. This will be through online training and recognised training courses. |
| - We will continue to work closely with all of our partners to further enhance relationships and gain better understanding of how we can deter low level crime and anti-social behaviour. |
| STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT |
| Governing document |
| The charitable company is controlled by its governing document, the memorandum and articles of association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. |
| Recruitment and appointment of new trustees |
| The trustees are appointed by a majority vote of the existing trustees. |
| Risk management |
| The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charitable company is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. |
| The major risks to which the charitable company is exposed have been reviewed and systems established to mitigate those risks. |
| This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. |
| Approved by order of the board of trustees on |
| INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Dover Retail Crime Operation ('the Company') |
| I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 28 February 2025. |
| Responsibilities and basis of report |
| As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act'). |
| Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act. |
| Independent examiner's statement |
| I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe: |
| 1. | accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or |
| 2. | the accounts do not accord with those records; or |
| 3. | the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or |
| 4. | the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)). |
| I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. |
| Mr I D Pascall FCA |
| McCabe Ford Williams |
| Chartered Accountants |
| Charlton House |
| Dour Street |
| DOVER |
| Kent |
| CT16 1BL |
| 18 June 2025 |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES |
| (INCORPORATING AN INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total |
| fund | fund | funds | funds |
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
| Donations and legacies |
| Charitable activities |
| Investment income | 3 |
| Total |
| EXPENDITURE ON |
| Charitable activities |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
| Total funds brought forward |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 34,839 |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04298676) |
| BALANCE SHEET |
| 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| Notes | £ | £ |
| FIXED ASSETS |
| Tangible assets | 7 |
| CURRENT ASSETS |
| Debtors | 8 |
| Cash at bank and in hand |
| CREDITORS |
| Amounts falling due within one year | 9 | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS |
| TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES |
| NET ASSETS |
| FUNDS | 12 |
| Unrestricted funds | 34,114 |
| Restricted funds | 725 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 34,839 |
| The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 28 February 2025. |
| The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 28 February 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. |
| The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for |
| (a) | ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and |
| (b) | preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company. |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04298676) |
| BALANCE SHEET - continued |
| 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime. |
| The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 1. | STATUTORY INFORMATION |
| Dover Retail Crime Operation is an incorporated private charitable company, limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales. In the event of the charitable company being wound up any property remaining would be given to another charity with similar objects and if no property remained, the liability of the members would be limited to £1. |
| The charitable company's registered number and registered office address can be found on the Reference and Administrative Details page and it's nature of operations can be found in the Report of the Trustees. The charitable company operates from Maison Dieu House, Biggin Street, Dover, Kent, CT16 1DW. |
| 2. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
| Basis of preparing the financial statements |
| The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. |
| There are no material uncertainties that may cast doubt upon the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern. |
| Income |
| All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. |
| Income invoiced in advance is deferred to the period to which it relates. |
| Government grants for the purpose of giving immediate financial support with no related future costs are recognised as income when receivable. |
| Expenditure |
| Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. |
| Tangible fixed assets |
| Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. |
| Radios and base | - |
| Office equipment | - |
| Taxation |
| The company is a registered charity and its income is exempt from taxation. |
| Fund accounting |
| Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. |
| Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 2. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued |
| Fund accounting |
| Income which has been set aside by the trustees for specific purposes, and its related expenditure, is treated as designated funds. |
| Hire purchase and leasing commitments |
| Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease. |
| Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits |
| The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate. |
| 3. | INVESTMENT INCOME |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Deposit account interest |
| 4. | NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) |
| Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting): |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Depreciation - owned assets |
| Other operating leases | 1,042 | - |
| Surplus on disposal of fixed assets | ( |
) |
| Independent examiners fees | 1,370 | 1,130 |
| 5. | TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS |
| There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 28 February 2025 nor for the year ended 29 February 2024. |
| Trustees' expenses |
| There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 28 February 2025 nor for the year ended 29 February 2024. |
| 6. | STAFF COSTS |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Wages and salaries |
| Other pension costs |
| 16,895 | 16,123 |
| The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows: |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| Intelligence co-ordinator |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 6. | STAFF COSTS - continued |
| 7. | TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS |
| Radios | Office |
| and base | equipment | Totals |
| £ | £ | £ |
| COST |
| At 1 March 2024 |
| Additions |
| At 28 February 2025 |
| DEPRECIATION |
| At 1 March 2024 |
| Charge for year |
| At 28 February 2025 |
| NET BOOK VALUE |
| At 28 February 2025 |
| At 29 February 2024 |
| 8. | DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Trade debtors |
| Prepayments |
| 9. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Social security and other taxes |
| Accruals and deferred income |
| 10. | LEASING AGREEMENTS |
| Minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases fall due as follows: |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Within one year |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 11. | ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total |
| fund | fund | funds | funds |
| £ | £ | £ | £ |
| Fixed assets | 713 | - | 713 | 433 |
| Current assets |
| Current liabilities | ( |
) | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| 30,724 | 305 | 31,029 | 34,839 |
| 12. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS |
| Net |
| movement | At |
| At 1.3.24 | in funds | 28.2.25 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 34,114 | (3,390 | ) | 30,724 |
| Restricted funds |
| Radio fund | 725 | (420 | ) | 305 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | (3,810 | ) | 31,029 |
| Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 22,929 | (26,319 | ) | (3,390 | ) |
| Restricted funds |
| Radio fund | - | (420 | ) | (420 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | ( |
) | (3,810 | ) |
| Comparatives for movement in funds |
| Net |
| movement | At |
| At 1.3.23 | in funds | 29.2.24 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 33,600 | 514 | 34,114 |
| Restricted funds |
| Radio fund | 1,025 | (300 | ) | 725 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 34,625 | 214 | 34,839 |
| DOVER RETAIL CRIME OPERATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2025 |
| 12. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued |
| Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 24,734 | (24,220 | ) | 514 |
| Restricted funds |
| Radio fund | - | (300 | ) | (300 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 24,734 | (24,520 | ) | 214 |
| The radio fund represents two grants received during a prior year for the purchase of batteries and radio equipment. |
| 13. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |
| During the year equipment and sundry services amounting to £1,130 (2024 - £518) were purchased from Smye-Rumsby Limited, a company of which Mr P E Smye-Rumsby (director and trustee) is a director. At the year end £Nil (2024 - £163) had been paid in advance. |