Grapevine was first trialled in the North West of England in 2006 as a single point of contact for the Post Office network and cash in transit staff enabling them to report suspicious activity. After this successful trial, Grapevine was rolled out on a national basis in January 2007. Grapevine is owned and funded by the Post Office but is operated and managed by Professional Witnesses Limited (PWL).
Professional Witnesses Ltd (PWL) was chosen to manage Grapevine because we have years of experience in the handling and dissemination of intelligence in the security world.
Post Office employees are encouraged to report any suspicious activity immediately to Grapevine; as a result, post offices or Cash in transit staff (CVIT) in the area of the intelligence may take action to prevent crime.
This is usually achieved by simultaneously sending an immediate text alert to those who have registered their mobile number. This is not only confined to Post Office employees and can be utilised by any business in order to provide an effective platform to distribute time critical information. The Post Office is actively seeking other stakeholders to broaden its effectiveness.
Grapevine works with all UK police forces in checking out the details of any vehicle which may have raised the suspicions of Post Office staff and other financial institutions. All intelligence is handled in accordance with the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) National Intelligence Model, which is a recognised standard for the handling, storing and dissemination of intelligence throughout the British Police Service. Realising that intelligence may have been submitted through sensitive sources, Grapevine intelligence officers make a risk assessment which could involve deploying our own front line employees to any possible threat.
All reports of suspicious activity are entered into a database which may identify similar suspicious activity and emerging trends - only accredited police staff or security personnel are allowed to do this.
Grapevine is pleased to announce that after just one year of operation, over 5000 mobile telephones have been registered to receive text messages. These consist of not only Post Office employees, but franchised and multiple partners as well as banks and their security teams, enabling them to cascade directly to their colleagues.
For further information and prices please use our enquiry form
