Bakers Basco ramps up its long arm of the law

27-May-2022 - Last updated on 27-May-2022 at 01:15 GMT

Stacy Brown is heading up the investigations team for Bakers Basco. Pic: Bakers Basco

The membership scheme set up by Allied Bakeries, Fine Lady Bakeries, Frank Roberts & Sons, Hovis and Warburtons to manage a bakery equipment service has recruited a former police officer as its new National Investigations Manager.

The appointment is in line with Bakers Basco’s strategy to boost its investigative power to retrieve missing or stolen equipment.

Stacy Brown joins Bakers Basco from the Lincolnshire Police, where for the past four years she has worked with the response team answering emergency 999 calls, as well as for the team protecting vulnerable people and children (PVP).

Prior to that, she worked as a bakery manager at a Tesco Extra outlet in the northeast of UK, having worked with the retail group since the age of 18.

Under her new remit, Brown has been charged with overseeing the investigations team – particularly as it pushes to expand its coverage into new areas and industries outside of the bakery sector (such as festivals, markets and events).

The who, what, why, when and how

Over the past few years, Bakers Basco has stepped up its investment in technology and installed GPS tracking devices across its equipment to track and monitor the daily movements.

However, rather than relying solely on its GPS tracking tech to identify locations of interest, Bakers Basco’s national investigations team is able to dig more deeply into the issue and understand the chain of events leading to it ending up in the wrong place.

“Having worked in PVP, I’m well accustomed to investigations and what that means in terms of having to explore every possible angle for leads,” said Brown.

“Naturally, that requires a specific thought process that I’m now working to embed into the Bakers Basco investigations team, as our work moves beyond simply recovering equipment to investigating the who, what, why, when and how of what happens when equipment is misplaced illegally.”

“This will be my real focus in the short term; ensuring we get the team in the right mindset to encourage them to think differently about investigations. It’s not just about picking up baskets but understanding why they are here, if there’s a paper trail of where they came from and if we can get any leads.

“Having learnt during my time in the police, a site visit which might seem mundane can often turn into something more serious. The same happens with Bakers Basco – so it’s all about changing the mindset of what investigations entail.”

Best of both worlds

Bakers Basco’s approach to become more streamlined and strategic in how it runs investigations to recover equipment was implemented by Paul Empson when he took on the reins as general manager in 2020.

Brown will report to Empson.

“It’s important to me that I have the right person I can trust and someone who brings the right skillset to guide the team,” said Empson.

“With Stacey’s background in police investigations and her earlier career as a supermarket bakery manager, we get the best of both worlds. She brings the right approach to be able to train and manage the team correctly and I genuinely think she is perfect for this role.”