Chief constable meets retail delegates to discuss ‘significant’ issues of business crime

Speaking after the meeting at PSNI headquarters, Jon Boutcher said: “Today’s meeting was a valuable opportunity to discuss the significant criminal challenges facing the retail sector. These include shocking cases of violence against staff and increasing levels of shoplifting offences impacting on local businesses.

“We are very much alive to these and other pressures across the retail sector and are determined to do everything in our power, through collaborative approaches with industry, to reduce incidents and harm to staff and businesses.”

However, he warned that “record low numbers of officers” was having a real impact on the PSNI’s capacity for this work

The PSNI, in partnership with local PCSPs and the Business Crime Partnership, already works “extremely closely” with businesses and this partnership working was a real “resource multiplier”,” Mr Boutcher said.

“Our officers and staff carry out a range of effective proactive work against business crime; in that regard Northern Ireland is served better than most other parts of the UK,” he added.

“However, as in most areas of policing our difficult funding environment and the record low numbers of officers are having a real impact on our capacity for this work. In particular, we are feeling the reduction in our numbers of neighbourhood officers who are key to maintaining effective local relationships and reducing crime.”

“In spite of these pressures I have assured everyone at today’s meeting that we will continue to work closely with all partners to robustly tackle business and retail crime and to help ensure that Northern Ireland remains a safe, attractive and prosperous place to live and do business.”

Glyn Roberts, chief executive officer of Retail NI, said afterwards “This was a worthwhile meeting with the chief constable to discuss the huge impact that crime is having on our members business, their staff, and the wider economy.

“It is a startling statistic that 67 per cent of our members surveyed in our recent report that their staff have been victims of assault and threats and 51 per cent were losing staff as a result.

“Our members are really struggling with the growing epidemic of shoplifting and we need to ensure tougher sanctions are put in place for those found guilty of this crime

“Retail NI fully supports the chief constable’s call for more funding for the PSNI, particularly for their neighbourhood teams, who play such an important role keeping our town and city centres safe places for our members, staff and customers”

“We want to reinforce the message that a more effective partnership between business, police, Department of Justice, and the public is the only way in which we can improve this situation.”