Retail crime: Parliament prioritises small business victims

Policymakers and police crime commissioners (PCCs) will be held accountable for shop crime, according to the chairman of new Retail Crime All-Party Parliamenta

In an exclusive interview with Retail Express, Guto Bebb, Welsh Conservative MP for Aberconwy, pledged to lobby senior Government figures across the country to ensure that they take retail crime seriously by prioritising small businesses in their £8bn police budget.

Bebb will work with other party ministers, retailers and the NFRN to achieve his final goal of ensuring all offenders of retail crime are treated equally – regardless of location.

Retail crime chairman, Guto Bebb MP, and NFRN national chairman Ralph Patel

“PCCs need to reflect their priorities on a local basis, we don’t want to end up in a situation where we have a postcode lottery when it comes to enforcing the law,” Bebb said. “We have heard time and time again of PCCs and policymakers almost dismissing the issue as one of those things people have to live with.”

The politician claimed that “very little attention has been paid to the real and damaging effect of shop crime” until now, because the industry has focused on surviving the recession and competing with the growth of online trade.

• Read: Raising the awareness of retail crime
• Read: 10 facts you needs to know about retail crime in Britain

From the autumn, regular meetings will take place in Parliament to discuss specific areas of crime, including motives. “It is undoubtedly tragic that anyone has to resort to crime, but we shouldn’t ignore the impact it has on small business,” he said.