The Fed has welcomed a week-long crackdown by regional police forces on retail crime to tackle some of the most prolific criminals targeting shops.

The action, led by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), was held from 17 October across UK towns and cities, and included more than 15 police forces.

During the week, officers engaged in crime-prevention activities including awareness raising with local businesses, alongside targeted operations to combat illicit trading and shoplifting.

NBCC lead superintendent Patrick Holdaway, who spoke at the Fed’s 2022 annual conference in June, said: “The week of action was an opportunity to bring police and partners together to tackle the key issues of business crime in their communities.”

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One force that took part was Bedfordshire Police. The region’s action follows a conference held by Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner Festus Akinbusoye last month. At the conference, the Fed’s national president, Jason Birks, highlighted the need for retailers to have confidence in police forces to report crime.

Birks told attendees: “Sadly, there is still significant under-reporting of crime, particularly for shop theft. When asked, 33% of respondents to Fed’s own retail crime surveys said they believed the police were unable to adequately prosecute shoplifters.”

During Bedford’s week of action, results included the arrest and charge of a man in his 30s for shop burglary. A prolific shoplifter from Leighton Buzzard was also arrested and charged.

Akinbusoye said: “I want Bedfordshire Police to send a clear and unequivocal message to the retail sector that the police are on their side and here to help,” he said.

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“As a business owner myself, I know the huge effort it takes to make a success of a commercial enterprise, without the additional worry about whether your staff or your stock is safe and secure.”

Sergeant Carl Perri, from Bedfordshire Police, added: “It is completely unacceptable that people going out to earn a living could be threatened or abused, or that people’s livelihoods are destroyed by opportunistic thieves.

“We want to send a clear message that we are here to support any business that becomes a victim of crime and will look to prosecute offenders where we can.”

According to the British Retail Consortium, incidents of violence and abuse against shop workers in 2020-21 almost tripled from 455 daily incidents to 1,300.

Since May 2021, the Fed has contacted more than half of all PCCs to raise awareness of the impact that crime has on people working in retail.

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