The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed the government’s new neighbourhood policing guarantee, which promises to ensure every community has dedicated, specialist neighbourhood policing teams.

The new measures, announced on 10 April, aim to provide each neighbourhood with named, contactable officers who will tackle local issues. Additionally, every community in England and Wales will have dedicated police teams, who will focus on key areas with guaranteed patrols, especially in town centres and other hotspots during peak times, such as Friday and Saturday nights.

There will also be a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead within each police force to work with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans to tackle antisocial behaviour.

According to the 2025 ACS Crime Report, convenience retailers recorded more than 6.2 million incidents of shop theft over the last year. This is in stark contrast to the fewer than 500,000 incidents reported by the police for the entire retail sector.

What difference will dedicate neighbourhood policing teams make?

James Lowman, ACS chief executive, highlighted that having a named officer who is known to retailers could make a “huge difference,” and he believes this approach should become the “norm” for ACS members.

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He said: “More neighbourhood police officers are urgently needed as one part of the solution to growing shop theft, antisocial behaviour, and other crimes typically committed in the communities where people live, shop, socialise, and work.

“We need to see these officers deployed in a way that really makes a difference in the heart of communities.”

However, Lowman cautioned that targeting town centres and peak times “might not be the right approach in every area,” noting that shops and communities outside major centres often feel “especially exposed” and “rarely see police officers”.

He added: “Everyone knows the way to tackle retail crime: retailers must report every incident, the police must investigate every incident and identify prolific repeat offenders, and the courts must apply effective penalties that break the cycle of re-offending.

“Our members are interested in these results and will be judging this announcement by its success in delivering this.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “It should not matter where you live – everyone deserves local, visible policing they can trust, and with our Plan for Change and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we will tackle this postcode lottery and restore policing to our communities.”

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