Dorset Police officers are supporting a national Safer Business Action Week to help tackle business and retail crime across the county.
The week of action, which is co-ordinated by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), is taking place between Monday October 14th and Sunday October 20th.
It aims to equip business owners and security staff with the tools to tackle business crime and raise awareness of the support available to help protect them.
As part of the week of action, local neighbourhood policing teams will have an enhanced focus on retail crime and will be delivering activity based on their local intelligence pictures.
This will include partnership meetings with Business Improvement Districts, crime prevention visits to shops, increased patrols in hotspot areas to look for shoplifters and engagement with businesses to encourage and provide support with reporting incidents.
Business and retail crime can encompass a wide variety of matters from theft and burglary, to cyber crime or abuse and violence directed at staff.
Safer Business Action Week is all about partnership working with the police, businesses, private security, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and Business Improvement Districts to reduce crime.
Inspector Dan Cullen, of Dorset Police, said: “This week of action is a great opportunity for us to engage with businesses in our community and show our commitment to reducing retail crime.
“We want to use this week to build upon the relationships we have with our retailers to help support them and target those who cause the most harm to businesses.
“While this week marks a specific enhanced response, it is important to note that this type of activity is taking place all year round and officers are working every day to tackle issues facing businesses and their customers.
“We would encourage members of the business community to make contact with officers if they want advice or have a question.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset David Sidwick said: “Shoplifting is not a victimless offence. From regular conversations with shop owners, I know the impact these crimes not only have on a company’s bottom line, but on staff and communities targeted. It was one of the reasons I stood for this role originally.
“Both locally and nationally, shoplifting is on the rise and thorough analysis of the issue in Dorset shows that a small core of prolific offenders commit the bulk of retail crime, with each offender being responsible for numerous shoplifting offences.”
“Thanks to making it a priority in the police and crime plan, Dorset Police now has a strategic plan, a tactical plan and operations in place to address this.”