PCC showcases shoplifting progress in support of Safer Business Action Week

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has hailed the achievements of police and partners in tackling retail crime and shoplifting as she marked a high-profile national awareness campaign.

In pledging her full support to Safer Business Action Week (10th to 16th November), the County Durham and Darlington PCC highlighted the sweeping progress being made locally to address shoplifting and protect retailers and shop workers.

Recent figures show shoplifting offences fell by 13 per cent between April and June this year compared to the same period last year thanks to targeted work to deter offending and bring more prolific criminals to justice.

In addition, the rate of recorded business burglaries and community offences reduced by 36.2 per cent during the same period.

As part of her determination to keep Darlington and County Durham as safe as possible for both businesses and visitors, she has provided £250k (£25k over 10 years) to boost CCTV coverage in Darlington and £142k from Safer Streets funding for replacement cameras in Durham City.  These cameras are not only helping to identify offenders but are proving an effective deterrent against criminality.

The Commissioner has also vowed to deliver a first-class service to all victims and has gone to great lengths to capture the perspectives of retailers and their employees, launching a force-wide consultation in December 2023 to better understand how criminality impacts the industry and the prevalence of abuse on shop workers.

The survey revealed 89% of retailers would like further support to tackle theft and shoplifting.

As part of her ongoing commitment to improve support for shop workers and retailers, the PCC recently provided £7,280 for two Safer Pods to deter shoplifting, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and violence in and outside retail units in Darlington.

Safer Pods, developed by Safer Group, are mobile, visible intruder detection units which monitor activity inside or outside a store via a ground level CCTV system.

The investment followed a pioneering Safer Pod trial in the town which saw shoplifting incidents fall from 21 to one in six weeks – a 95 per cent reduction – while incidents of ASB fell from 18 in the weeks before the trial to none.

Total police cost savings during the six-week trial were also estimated to be £19,900 while retailers reported a significant decrease in shrinkage and improved security.

Following the trial, the PCC agreed to fund two Safer Pods in the town - one to tackle ASB and another to focus on shoplifting – until March 2026, while further trials are underway in Bishop Auckland and Stanley.

Previously, the PCC funded twenty handheld radios worth over £9k to help businesses on Aycliffe Business Park in Newton Aycliffe communicate with each other to warn of suspicious activity including shoplifting and ASB.

The PCC funded the resources as part of a wider plan to expand Business Watch schemes across the force area.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Together with the force and our partners, we are working tirelessly to protect retailers from these unacceptable losses which threaten livelihoods, jobs and our economy. Our work is having a sustained impact on shoplifting rates and importantly helping business owners and their employees to feel more supported and safer.

“I have an ongoing and open dialogue with retailers, and I take their experiences of shoplifting and violence and abuse against staff extremely seriously. This is why Retail Crime is a key priority in my Police, Crime and Justice Plan, and why I continue to back my promises with significant investment in technology to protect both employees and profits and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.

“While these measures are clearly delivering results, we can and will do more. I’m determined to get to the very root of these problems, developing new and innovative approaches to manage the most prolific offenders and diverting them into treatment programmes for addiction where appropriate.”

The PCC has supported the roll out and development of shop and retail watch schemes and supportive partnerships that aim to address business and retail crime. She has also used to her voice to support the work of national campaigns including the Co-op’s Respect for Shop workers initiative and Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers(USDAW) in raising the issue of violence against shop workers.

The PCC will be visiting retailers and businesses throughout Safer Business Action Week to highlight the work underway to improve the response to shoplifting, theft and other business crimes, and to gather views on other preventative activity that is needed.

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