NFRN National President Mike Mitchelson challenged Home Secretary Sajid Javid on police response and the performance of Police and Crime Commissioners when they met at the Conservative Party Conference yesterday (October 1).
Besides explaining how retailers feel unprotected by the lack of police response to shop crimes, Mitchelson raised concerns about increasing incidents of physical and verbal abuse on retailers and their staff.
Javid acknowledged the issues, noting that pressure was needed to improve the performance of PPCs in responding to retail crime. He agreed to meet an NFRN delegation at the Home Office as soon as possible to discuss these concerns in greater detail.
Earlier in the day – at a meeting chaired by MP Stephen Hammond, the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Retail Crime – there was a discussion regarding the need for police to respond to shop thefts where the loss was less than £200.
Those present, including MEP Robert Aiken, were made aware of the value of sales needed to recover that amount of theft.
While it was acknowledged by NFRN West Midlands District President Manjit Samra that a determined shoplifter was difficult to stop, it was agreed that retailers needed to consider store layout and product placement when implementing crime prevention measures.
