Work to tackle shoplifting across Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire was showcased last week, as West Mercia Police supported Safer Business Action Week (SaBA).
The event aims to raise awareness of business-related crime, including shoplifting, burglary and anti-social behaviour.
West Mercia Police says it has seen a fall of 6% in shoplifting, which can be attributed to range of factors including the proactive and robust approach taken to reduce business crime.
This focus is also part of ongoing efforts to deliver safer town centres, as set out in the Police & Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) Safer Communities Plan.
Throughout the week, officers across the force used the opportunity to highlight to local businesses the support available and offer crime prevention advice.
PC Paul Gough, rural and business crime officer for Telford, said: “Engaging with our business communities is something we do regularly and building those relationships is vital in being able to deal with business related crime.
“We focused some our efforts on areas and businesses that have been victim to recent break-ins, to provide further reassurance and update them on how investigations were progressing.
“We also gave out some window and door alarms to the small businesses and spoke to them about security and any issues they are facing. One business we visited had previously had some issues with the use of off-road bikes near their premises. The staff there noticed we had been patrolling that area and had seen the issue ease.”
Officers also worked with partners, such as local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and council leaders, to identify how issues can be resolved in a joint working approach.
The Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) in Worcester and the local BID officers attended retail stores in the city to share information on the “banned from one, banned from all” shoplifting scheme. The initiative prevents an offender from entering any other participating business if they are banned from one of them and aims to reduce the amount of shoplifting in an area.
Worcester SNT, as well as other local policing teams, carried out plain clothes and uniformed patrols to target known shoplifters.
The Shop Watch scheme was also refreshed and businesses reminded of the benefits with new members signed up. Such schemes are partnerships between local businesses, the police and other agencies such as local authorities to support communities against retail-related crime.
“Officers have been continuing to build relationships with communities to strengthen trust and communication.”
Inspector Tanya Beckett for Worcester SNT said: “Officers have been continuing to build relationships with communities to strengthen trust and communication.
“Hotspot patrols are also carried out across the force all year round and focus on targeted areas where we know crime occurs. These are often in the heart of towns and cities and will see businesses and its staff affected.
“We hope by continuing in our efforts to deter crime and through thorough investigations, we can have further positive effects on business crime.”
In addition to all of the above, SmartWater property marking packs were also handed out to local businesses. It forms part of the We Don’t Buy Crime initiative, West Mercia Police’s response to tackling acquisitive crime, and makes it easier to reunite stolen items with the owner.
We Don’t Buy Crime is supported by the PCC and puts prevention at the heart of day-to-day policing. Find out more here.
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