‘Retail workers are often on the front line of abuse’ says police and crime commissioner as open letter calls for increased action against retail crime

More than 100 retail leaders have written a joint letter to PCCs in England and Wales calling on them to make retail crime a priority, underlining the impact it has on victims.

In the open letter, the British Retail Consortium expressed their concern for rising reports of violence, abuse and anti-social behaviour partly linked to shoplifting.

The letter asked for PCCs to commit to making retail crime a priority in their local policing plan.

PCC Donna Jones said: ‘Retail workers go above and beyond to keep their customers and colleagues safe.

‘I know locally that businesses have adopted various crime prevention initiatives to ensure they can protect their buildings, products and each other from burglary, theft and assault, however as this letter outlines, they need more support from the police.

‘I made reducing business crime a priority in my Police and Crime Plan and I have also established the Safer Hampshire Business Partnership made up of businesses from the local area who help to identify challenges and crime patterns, develop ways to share intelligence and combat prolific offending.

‘Retail workers are often on the front line of abuse, they are in public-facing roles and require more support when it comes to assaults or verbal attacks.

‘I’ll be monitoring how the new sentencing guidelines are used and the impact on violence and abuse against retail workers locally.’