Incidents of theft have elevated by 27% in the ten biggest cities in the UK. Safer Enterprise Week, October 16-22, is a national initiative coordinated by the National Enterprise Crime Center. The week focuses on activities to combat enterprise crime via prevention, intelligence sharing, targeted enforcement and neighborhood engagement.
BIRA, which performs with additional than six,000 independent firms of all sizes across the UK, mentioned that with increasing crime posing a significant threat to retailers, the week encourages police forces, firms and the public to perform with each other on options. Safer Enterprise Action Week activities will incorporate higher visibility patrols, crime prevention education, facts sharing and arrests of a quantity of offenders. ShopKind’s campaign against retail violence will also be in concentrate.
A current study by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) identified that the quantity of theft instances elevated by 27% in the ten biggest cities in the UK. In addition, increasing violence against retail workers has led significant retailers such as Tesco to equip their employees with physique cameras and colleagues at the Co-op supermarket to warn of prospective ‘no-go’ zones for shops in specific communities.
According to BIRA, lots of of its members are reporting declining foot visitors and lost sales due to security fears. BIRA Chief Executive Andrew Goodacre commented: “Independent retailers are getting hit tough by theft, fraud and violence. Urgent action is required to defend staff and maintain higher streets vibrant. Increasing crime is threatening the viability of independent shops and damaging the perception of regional higher streets. We hope this national week of action can raise awareness although delivering tangible improvements in security and safety.”
For the duration of the week, BIRA is attractive to independent traders to liaise with regional police to share intelligence, ask for crime prevention guidance and aid bring habitual offenders to justice. Goodacre concluded: “Collaboration among the police, firms and the public is vital to turn factors about. By functioning with each other, we can assure that buying locally is secure and enjoyable for everybody.”