Crime is something that everyone is talking about at the moment.

It’s a big topic and people want to get help and support with it, which I back 100%. The risks staff are running every single day are unbelievable, but whatever we’re doing, we end up asking, ‘Where’s the help from the police?’ There’s so much work that goes into reporting a crime – CCTV, getting names and addresses – but they just want to give a Crime Reference Number and do nothing else. This means people think we’re easier targets because there’s no punishment.

The Fed has been getting behind a lot of initiatives, but I’ve not seen physical evidence of anything on the ground yet. Action is what we want. My staff are potentially getting into harm’s way – these are people with kids and grandchildren and families who have worked for me for a long time. I’ve got to worry about their welfare because we’re not getting that from the police.

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It comes down to training. Retailers have to be realistic and everyone is in a different situation, but staff safety has to be paramount on every occasion. I have staff meetings every week, and on top of the agenda each time is how to handle and react to shoplifting.

No one knows exactly how they’ll react until it actually happens to them, and it can happen at any time. And while there’s no right or wrong way, we try to guide them and help them to stay safe. Because that’s the most important thing in the end. We have panic alarms and alarms around our staff members’ necks as well, which they should press if they’re concerned. Let someone else deal with it or let them walk out. I don’t think I could let someone walk out of my store knowing they’d stolen from me, a er all the work I’ve put into my store, but you can’t come into contact with them for your own safety. These people can carry knives.

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