NFRN National President Mike Mitchelson (pictured left) spelled out the impact that retail crime has on independent retailers when he met with his local MP, Justice Minister Rory Stewart (pictured right), last Friday (July 13).
Mitchelson told Stewart how every retailer had the right to feel safe in their shops and live their lives free from crime when the Justice Minister visited his Brampton store and post office.
He also explained how police budget cuts and the lack of beat officers meant that retail crime victims were not getting the response times and service that they deserved.
The meeting came one month after Mitchelson urged NFRN members to raise awareness among all MPs of retail crime.
In his inaugural speech to Annual Conference delegates in Torquay on June 12, he said: “I would like every MP – all 650 of them – to receive a visit from at least one NFRN member between now and Annual Conference next year.
“And while we are doing this, let’s arrange meetings with Chief Constables and – in England and Wales – with our Police and Crime Commissioners too and send a very clear message that rising instances of retail crime and poor police responses can no longer be tolerated.”
