The NYPD in the Bronx has quietly begun working more closely with small businesses as it grapples with a shoplifting epidemic — and local supermarket owners say the early signs look promising.
In a throwback strategy, police officers in the Bronx’s 46th Precinct last month began handing out their personal phone numbers to local business owners — a stark contrast to the past several years, during which shopkeepers gripe they’ve given up on dialing 911 over a lack of response.
At the same time, NYPD detectives at the precinct also have set up new WhatsApp chat group where retailers can upload photos and videos of shoplifters swiping merchandise in real time, according to store owners.
While the pilot is only weeks old, Bronx business owners say that having direct access to officers has already resulted in arrests.
“One of my colleagues caught a guy shoplifting and instead of calling 911 he called the crime prevention team and they were there in five minutes,” said grocer Eddie Vargas, who operates a Pioneer supermarket in the Bronx in addition to other Big Apple locations.