Wiltshire PCC urges business to report all retail crimes
He wants an accurate picture of the problem in the county
Last updated 1st Aug 2024
There's a call from Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner for businesses in the county to have trust and confidence in the police when tackling retail crime.
Philip Wilkinson says retailers need to report EVERY crime that happens in order to give officers 'an accurate picture of retail and business crime in Wiltshire'.
In his online blog, the PCC said: "Once we reach this point, it’s likely that we will see a further increase in recorded shoplifting offences before the measures put in place start to drive them down."
He adds that he wants to 'reassure' the public that plans are in place to tackle the worrying increase in retail crime and to improve engagement with businesses.
Mr Wilkinson's been meeting with businesses across the county to maintain that dialogue that concerns will be addressed.
He said he'd also been told that frustrations over crime not being dealt with had led to smaller, independent companies going out of business.
"It’s important that shoplifting should not be dismissed as a victimless, lower-level crime as we’re seeing this increasing trend being used by organised crime groups to fuel criminality and the clear impact on retailers, employees and the wider community should not be understated.
"This impact is felt further when intimidation and threats of violence accompany shoplifting offences and both economic and physical harm is caused to those working in retail and business owners.
"I have and will continue to challenge Wiltshire Police to better tackle shoplifting and am pleased that a new business crime strategy has been developed which outlines a clear forward plan.
"This will be supported by the increased focus on police visibility and neighbourhood policing under the direction of Chief Constable Catherine Roper - we must ensure that people are able to feel safe in the communities where they live and work."