by LUCY ASHTON
Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce and a range of key partners are taking part in the national Safer Business Action Week to help tackle business and retail crime across local communities.
As part of the initiative, officers working in tandem with other agencies will be running Safer Business Action Days throughout the week, visiting local retailers and other businesses to gain a better understanding of the challenges they face on a daily basis.
For the first time, four national campaigns are joining together for SaBA Week, with the NBCC, Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), Usdaw and Retail Trust working together to strengthen efforts to protect retail workers from violence, abuse and intimidation.
The aim is to deliver a focused operation involving joint patrols, targeted action against prolific offenders and a range of crime prevention activities, supported by the National Business Crime Centre, which coordinates SaBA Week.
Throughout Scotland, Taskforce resources will be out alongside local policing teams to engage with retailers, offer advice on crime prevention and strengthening security, and provide a high-visibility presence to both deter retail crime and respond to incidents that arise.
Police Scotland will also be supporting a range of campaigns aimed at preventing retail workers from being targeted by crime by the public, including Let’s Respect Retail, Shopkind, and Respect for Shopworkers Week.
Inspector Emma Wright from Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce said: “It’s really important that we send a clear message to businesses all over the country that they are not alone when dealing with retail crime.
“Such offences are not victimless, and the impact of retail crime has a knock-on impact for us all, which cannot be ignored or understated.
“Initiatives such as Safer Business Action Week allow us to work alongside key partners and collaborate with the retail and business sector on how we can all work together to address the issues most adversely affecting them.”
Supt Lisa Maslen, pictured left, lead of the National Business Crime Centre, said: “Safer Business Action Week provides an important opportunity to highlight the challenges businesses face on a daily basis, while recognising the continued partnership work taking place across the country.”
“The outcomes we have seen from these joint efforts demonstrate the positive impact of police, local authorities and the business community working together to reduce harm and make places safer for people to work and shop.”