New survey lifts the lid on retail crime and abuse across County Durham and Darlington.

Retail workers and businesses across County Durham and Darlington have shared their views on crime and workplace abuse as part of a force wide poll.

The consultation was launched by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen to help her understand the issues that impact the safety of retail employees and the prevalence of abuse on shopworkers. It was also designed to gauge feedback on crimes such as shoplifting and anti-social behaviour that disrupt businesses and result in significant financial losses.

It comes as the PCC launched a new Safer Business Task Group which hosted its first meeting last week.

The group has been set up with local retailers, police and other partners to share best practice on how to deter shoplifting and other retail crime. It is also designed to help increase understanding on local issues impacting retail businesses and provide multi-agency solutions that are not the sole responsibility of the force.

Safer Business is a key priority in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan, and she is working closely with retailers and businesses to increase support and identify solutions to the issues that threaten their livelihoods, funding a raft of improvements to deliver a more effective response.

The survey highlighted significant under-reporting of crime across the sector with half of all retailers (50 per cent) admitting to reporting less than 10 per cent of abuse incidents to police. Fewer than 25 per cent of those completing the survey also said they reported fewer than 10 per cent of theft incidents to the police.

In total, 46 per cent of retailers and retail workers cited the reason for under reporting as the time it took for incidents to be investigated. Other issues raised included difficulties reporting crime and dissatisfaction with the approach to persistent offenders.

A further 43 per cent of retailers said they were totally dissatisfied with the police response to crime while 62 per cent said the police needed to take more action to deal with verbal and physical abuse and threats against their staff.

Meanwhile, almost one in nine (89 per cent) of retailers or business owners said they would like further support to tackle theft/shop lifting and 67 per cent would like more support to respond and prevent anti-social behaviour in or around their store.

Commissioner Allen said: “We know the incidents of abuse and shoplifting that are reported to the police are just the tip of the iceberg, and that many are not reported. This is an issue I am determined to change, and I am already working closely with business and retail representatives to increase confidence and trust across the sector.

“The growing pattern of shoplifting, violence and anti-social behaviour across our retail stores is a concern for every Police and Crime Commissioner in the country. No one should feel unsafe going into work. Businesses provide local jobs, contribute to the economy and help communities to thrive - they deserve better protection and support.

“Since I was elected, I have provided funding for new technology, resources and training to better equip our officers for tackling business crime. Working with businesses themselves, I have also supported the expansion of voluntary networks including ShopWatch and RuralWatch to help keep businesses alert to current threats. Clearly, there is much more work to do, and I will be discussing the findings of this important survey with the force in detail to determine how else we can support businesses to combat crime.”

As part of the Safer Business theme of her Plan, the Commissioner supported the roll out of SentrySIS across Durham Constabulary - an online tool enabling businesses and retailers to share information, report crime and even upload evidence such as CCTV footage directly to Durham Constabulary in real-time.

The system enables businesses to report crime instantly without the need to schedule appointments with officers to gather evidence and take statements. It also shortens investigations and aids swift justice.

The Commissioner is supporting the force to increase uptake of the tool and used the recent survey to gauge awareness of the facility.

The Commissioner also attends quarterly meetings with the National Federation of Independent Retailers as part of her work to develop a stronger understanding of trends and identify solutions to the issues that impact their businesses.