Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, was joined by senior representatives from policing, retail and security at Mitie’s Intelligent Security Operations Centre (ISOC) in Northampton for the industry launch of a new retail crime strategy, ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together’.
The strategy was initially unveiled by Home Secretary as part of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative earlier in the month.
The strategy will be a new blueprint for the delivery of the safe, vibrant, growing retail sector that communities deserve, complementing the Government’s Safer Streets mission and has been developed collaboratively by partners from across the retail sector, security industry, policing, academia and the Home Office.
Alongside the Ministerial address, speakers included Superintendent Lisa Maslen, City of London Police; Ed Woodall, Government Relations Director, Association of Convenience Stores; and Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services, Mitie. The Minister called for more retailers to join the collaboration and support the new strategy, which includes:
- The development of a ‘Fusion Cell’: The building of a model to fuse retailer knowledge with policing powers, to enable effective identification, assessment and management of criminal threats to the safety and security of retailers. A six-monthly assessment will be published outlines, current, emerging and predicted trends and outcomes from previous activities
- A continued clamp down on organised retail crime: The sharing of intelligence relating to organised criminality to policing so they can investigate, arrest and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to achieve criminal justice outcomes
- The identification of high harm places: Assessing harm to places to allow plans to be developed that target the root cause of criminality with the intent of achieving a sustainable reduction in risk to retailers
- Offender management: Interventions that address the different motivations of those with the intent and capability to commit crime
As the strategy is put into practice, new and evidence-based tactics will be put to the test with outputs and outcomes tracked and publicised. Areas of commonality between industry and policing that require a consistent approach to their application will be established and guidance and support will be offered for the implementation of these standards.
The event was hosted at Mitie’s ISOC in Northampton which supports major retailers with 24/7 security operations in dedicated ‘SOCs’ where expert colleagues work around the clock to review footage, identify potential theft, and support in-store colleagues.
Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said:
"For too long, retail crime has been dismissed as 'low level' whilst businesses suffer and communities lose confidence in their local high streets.”
“Our Safer Streets Summer Initiative will see increased police patrols and local action in over 500 town centres this summer, and we are bringing in new laws to protect retail workers from assault and put an end to the effective decriminalisation of shop theft under £200.”
“This new retail crime strategy demonstrates what can be achieved when government, police and the retail sector work in partnership and is another vital step in our fight back against this corrosive crime."
Jason Towse, Managing Director of Business Services, Mitie said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister to our ISOC today and we are proud to use our expertise to support the development of the new Retail Crime strategy and collaborate with a strong set of partners including the Government, academia, retailers and the wider security industry to innovate and drive safer stores and safer communities.”
“The new ‘Fusion Cell’ will enable regular benchmarking of threats, predict trends and identify high harm places so extra support can be deployed. We urge more retailers to join the campaign to enable the sector to take a holistic view of the issues and target the root cause of criminality.”
Notes to editors
Additional quotes:
Alex Goss, Assistant Chief Constable and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for retail crime said:
“We know retail crime has a significant impact on victims, damages businesses and communities and goes far beyond financial loss. We also know it is a complex problem with a diverse offender profile and is something which requires a strong partnership approach, tackling the issues together.”
“Over the last two years we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers and greatly improving information sharing which has resulted in a number of high harm offenders being brought to justice and the new Retail Crime Strategy builds on this even further. It brings together policing, retailers, the security industry and academia in a shared action plan which makes best use of our collective resources to turn the tide on the volume of offending blighting our communities.”
“A collective approach is key, ensuring everyone can enjoy where they live, work and spend their leisure time safely.”
Graham Wynn, Assistant Director of Business Regulation at the BRC, said:
“Retail crime remains a scourge on our high street, with violence and abuse against staff spiralling to over 2,000 incidents a day. The cost of theft has also risen to over £2.2 billion a year, pushing up prices for honest shoppers and damaging the customer experience. This is why we welcome new initiatives to try and protect staff, reduce theft, and bring retail crime to heel.”
Katy Bourne OBE (PCC for Sussex) and Andy Dunbobbin (PCC for North Wales), APCC Joint Leads on Business and Retail Crime said:
“This strategy is an acknowledgement of the urgent need to focus on tackling unacceptable levels of shop theft and violence against retail workers. We are delighted that the success of the Police and Crime Commissioner-led Pegasus partnership of retailers, home office and police has been recognised and is being built upon. Through the work of Pegasus and policing’s Opal team, a hugely effective, data-led and intelligence-sharing approach has been developed that focuses on organised retail crime gangs with greater police and retailer working at its heart.”
Hannah Wadey, CEO, Safer Business Network said:
“Retail crime continues to have a profound impact not just on businesses, but on our communities as a whole. The launch of the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together’ strategy is a pivotal moment in demonstrating the power of genuine partnership between government, policing, and the private and third sectors. At Safer Business Network, we’ve seen firsthand how collaborative intelligence-sharing and offender management can disrupt persistent criminal behaviour. This strategy provides the national framework we’ve long needed to turn insight into impact — and we are proud to be part of driving that change forward.”
Edward Woodall, Government Relations Director, Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) said:
“Retail crime is not victimless, it harms local retailers, the people they employ, and the communities they serve. Tackling retail crime requires coordinated action, and this strategy is a vital step forward. We’re proud to support a plan that puts the safety of retailers and their colleagues at the heart of the response.”
Dr Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Business Crime, City St George’s, University of London and host of the podcast Retail Crime Uncovered, said:
“Retail crime harms workers, hurts businesses, and undermines our communities. From violence against shopworkers to organised theft and repeat low-level offending, the impact extends far beyond the shop floor - it hikes up prices for honest customers, damages local economies, and creates fear on our high streets.”
“The Tackling Retail Crime Together strategy marks an important shift from fragmented efforts to a unified, coordinated response. While progress has been made in pushing back against the wave of criminality affecting the retail sector, we now need to build on that momentum – identifying what works through rigorous testing of innovative approaches, evaluating their impact, and scaling best practice.”
“This is a strategy rooted in evidence, powered by partnership, and focused on reducing harm. It’s a call to action for everyone – from the police to policymakers to businesses – to play their part in creating safer, stronger, and more vibrant high streets.”
For more information on ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together’: Tackling Retail Crime Together | National Business Crime Centre
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