Last week, I met Superintendent Sarah Jackson, Chief Inspector Mehmet Hassan, Inspector Mason, Councillor Mitchell Goldie, and representatives from Station Road’s High Street Chains, Boots, Tesco, Co-op, Greggs, and Amazon, to discuss how the spate of violent shoplifting can be tackled together.
Since April last year, Station Road has seen a rise in organised and targeted shoplifting, having a detrimental impact on local businesses and community safety. In response, the community are actively working together to tackle crime in the area.
Tackling this issue requires two things: active police presence and responsibility from retailers to protect staff and customers. At this meeting, I'm encouraged to see the high street chains taking considerable measures to deter shoplifters including updated CCTV, body-worn cameras, and streamlined crime reporting tools.
Going forward, we’re establishing a formal communication network between store managers to better share intelligence and support one another.
I remain committed to working together with the Police and High Street chains to tackle this issue and protect our high street.
