Forum
GETTING TOUGHER ON BUSINESS
CRIME - AFTER A FASHION?
HOME OFFICE MINISTER VERNON COAKER IS GORDON BROWN’S
‘ENFORCER’ WHEN IT COMES TO RECOGNISING THE GROWING
PROBLEM OF BUSINESS CRIME.
What can retailers expect from the the retail press about a possible
police in terms of reducing retail future that includes holding cells in
crime and what should police stores for offenders who are violent
demand from retailers in the spirit of until police arrive. Is this a good use
that partnership? of store space or retailers doing the
We are very conscious of the cost and job of the police and prison service at
disruption that crime causes to the a time of high prison over crowding?
business community and of course There is no such proposal. The actual
the consequences for everyone, proposal is for Short Term Holding
whether employer, employee or Facilities which are custody facilities
customer. I am committed to doing all designed to accommodate people
we can to tackle these problems. about to undergo questioning or
Partnership working is perhaps the whilst other elements of the
single biggest success in tackling investigation are underway or whilst
crime over the past ten years. We awaiting first court appearance. They
funded the Action Against Business will not be run by stores or shop staff
Crime Group to set up and maintain but by the police.
200 business crime reduction
partnerships in towns and cities across What can you do about police
England and Wales. These consistency? Fixed penalty notices
partnerships have proved remarkably are a case in point as are police
successful. responses to false alarm call outs.
However the key part of our Indeed cynical retailers say you can
strategy is to encourage business to get 43 different interpretations of
ARLIER this year the Retail
Vernon
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work closely in partnership with the Home Office and ACPO guidelines
Loss Prevention Fashion
Coaker MP
police and local authorities through from the 43 forces. What is the HO
Forum – comprising the heads the Crime and Disorder Reduction doing about this kind of anomaly?
of most of the High Street’s Partnerships (CDRPs) to inform local The police response should be seen in
fashion labels – threw down crime reduction strategies. the overall context of the crime
the gauntlet to Vernon Coaker MP Neighbourhood Policing must strategy. The strategy places a new
through a series of searching engage with local businesses to emphasis on the importance of local
questions that he agreed to answer identify and tackle the issues delivery – to meet local priorities, to
in written form. affecting them. This will increase respond to local needs. This approach
The questions covered a wide confidence and satisfaction and means giving local partners more
range of subjects and concerns – reduce crime and the fear of crime flexibility to respond to the crime and
from government policy on street within the local business community. anti-social behaviour that matters to
crime to the rumours of retailers The National Policing Improvement people in their areas, with fewer
having to have holding cells in their Agency will shortly be issuing types of crime being prioritised from
stores to prevent prison over- guidance on how police forces can the centre.
crowding. even more effectively engage with We can achieve this if we work in
Below are the straight-talking business in the future. partnership with community safety
questions from the Forum – made up In turn local businesses have a service providers and communities
of Adidas, Asda, JD Sport, Jaeger, responsibility to develop relationships themselves – and that includes
Marks and Spencer, Mothercare, with their local police and crime businesses that are so often at the
Next, House of Fraser, Monsoon, reduction partnerships, to clearly heart of our communities. The real
Mosaic, Matalan, Peacocks, Polo outline their concerns and become challenge is how we work together
Ralph Lauren and TK Maxx to name involved in joint problem solving and to address the problem of retail crime
a few examples. crime prevention initiatives. effectively.
In italics, the Minister gives his Penalty Notices are intended for
view. There has been a lot of publicity in only the lowest level examples of
ISSUE 2 SEPTEMBER 2008• 25
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