Retail crime is a growing challenge for businesses across the UK, and Wakefield is no exception. On Friday, Wakefield BID hosted a Retail Crime Roundtable at WX Wakefield, bringing together city centre businesses and Simon Lightwood MP to discuss the impact of crime on local businesses and explore solutions to improve safety.
The discussion provided businesses with the opportunity to share first-hand experiences of shoplifting, aggressive behaviour, and repeat offenders who to target their stores.
Simon Lightwood MP outlined Labour’s stronger measures to tackle retail crime, including:
- Respect Orders to ban persistent offenders from high streets.
- A new stand-alone offence for assaults on retail workers to ensure those responsible face tougher penalties.
- Scrapping the £200 “low-value” theft threshold, closing loopholes that have allowed repeat offenders to steal with little consequence.
Wakefield BID has been actively working to support businesses through initiatives such as the newly launched Safer Wakefield scheme, which connects businesses with a radio network and intelligence-sharing system to improve communication and response times.
Thomas Wales, Chief Executive of Wakefield BID, said:
“Wakefield’s businesses are fed up with repeat offenders facing little to no consequences. This roundtable gave them a chance to speak directly to decision-makers about the challenges they face daily. Wakefield BID will continue pushing for action to ensure businesses, staff, and shoppers feel safe in our city centre.”
Wakefield BID will be following up on the discussion with key stakeholders to ensure tangible action is taken. Businesses are encouraged to report all incidents of retail crime to build a clearer picture of the issue and strengthen calls for change.
For updates on Wakefield BID’s work in tackling retail crime, visit Safer Wakefield.
