Retail crime in Humberside police force area expected to worsen over the coming months

After a national week of action against retail crime, Humberside Police have launched a charter, set to tackle violence and abuse within retail settings and keep shop workers safe. The rate of these types of crime increased at the end of the pandemic, as shops began to re-open, and that pattern is expected to continue into the festive season.

Humberside Police are tackling retail and business crime as the festive period approaches.

As the national week of action against shop crimes commenced, the force undertook many operations, targeted in towns and city centres, supporting and engaging with local businesses and educating shop staff of measures to reduce the risk.

The force are eager to combat crimes of this nature due to its lasting impacts on shop owners and workers.

Each day across the UK, more than 400 retail workers are the subject of violence and abuse – just for doing their job.

Officers and staff have been conducting high-visibility and plain clothed patrols, to target those causing the greatest impact.

Some of these patrols have included visits to Scunthorpe where officers have been completing days of action in and around Scunthorpe Town Centre, not only targeting those involved in retail and business crime, but also some of the underlying challenges which may contribute to retail crimes. For instance, substance misuse, drug misuse and drug dealing. Some of those deployed also had drug dogs in and around the locality, stopping people and where necessary, taking action against those that they know contribute to retail crime.

In another area, Grimsby, teams were approaching businesses to sign up to the charter and taking time to also tell businesses about a partnership, where they could communicate between each other to share information about individuals that may be involved in business and retail crime, that helps Police take coordinated action.

Superintendent, Paul French told us that more work is also taking place in Hull, alongside Hull City Council in developing an approach that identifies opportunities to address the root causes of people engaging and involved in retail crime.

He continued to add that the rise has been a continuation of the Covid pandemic:

"We've got to recognise that during the COVID pandemic, a lot of our businesses and retailers were closed, and so that really impacted the levels of retail and business crime that we saw. Certainly, for those shops and businesses that remained open, retailers stayed in those workplaces and undertook some really key work in our local communities.

"So, as we've come out of lockdown, and as we now approach the sort of challenges associated with cost of living, it's absolutely essential that we work, side by side with our businesses and retailers collectively to reduce risk of these type of offenses. But also, to hold to account those responsible, while providing a range of support to address underlying root causes that might be contributing to those crimes taking place."

He also mentioned that crimes of this nature have lasting impacts:

"Throughout the past few weeks, we've been speaking and listening to businesses and retailers, particularly shop workers, that have lived experiences, those who have been victim of retail crime, and also with violence and abuse- just for doing their jobs. From listening, it's clear that the impact of this is far beyond the items that are stolen and far beyond the loss to that business. We've heard a number of occasions of where some of those staff members have carried the impact of that particular incident for some time thereafter, and so again, as part of our engagement and our Charter, we're working with local charities to provide restorative justice and wider Victim Support to retailers and to shop workers, recognizing the impact can be far beyond just the items that are taken at one particular time."

Retailers and businesses are able to get advice on ways to reduce the risk of being targeted by those responsible for these types of crimes by looking on the Police website.

If you have any information about those responsible for crime local businesses or retailers – including the disposal of stolen property – you can report this by calling 101; by speaking with a member of your Neighbourhood Policing Team; or by sharing their information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.