Message for businesses

Dear Business Owner / Retail Partner,

We understand the significant impact that business and retail crime can have on your staff, customers, and overall operations. Whether it is shoplifting, abuse towards employees, criminal damage, theft, fraud, or anti-social behaviour, these incidents can affect confidence, profitability, and the safety of those working within our communities.

As your local police service, we are committed to working in partnership with businesses to prevent crime, identify offenders, and make our retail areas safer for everyone. However, our ability to do this effectively relies on incidents being reported.

We know that some offences may seem minor or that there may be a perception that reporting will not lead to immediate action. However, every report helps us build a clearer picture of offending patterns, identify repeat offenders, direct patrols to hotspot locations, and secure evidence to support investigations and prosecutions.

By reporting incidents to the police, you can help us:

In addition to reporting crime, we can offer advice and support around crime prevention measures, staff safety, CCTV opportunities, and partnership schemes designed to reduce offending and improve security.

If a crime is taking place or there is an immediate threat to life or safety, please call 999. For non-emergency incidents, reports can be made by calling 101 or through the police force's online reporting system.

Together, we can create a safer environment for businesses, employees, customers, and visitors. Your information and reports play a vital role in helping us tackle business and retail crime effectively.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.