Reporting every crime and providing good-quality evidence is vital in addressing retail crime in 2025, says Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne.
Acknowledging that the reporting process can often be time-consuming and laborious, Bourne stresses the importance of reporting every incident to the police. “It is really vital that retailers do report to the police because the reason why I think shoplifting has gone unseen for so long is because those reports have not been coming in.”
In addition to her 12-year stint as Sussex PCC, Bourne serves as the joint lead for National Business and Retail Crime at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and also spearheads Project Pegasus - a business and policing partnership aiming to improve the way retailers are able to share intelligence with policing.
Bourne recalled visiting a Co-op store and finding out from local police that over a six-week period, the store had only reported eight crimes. However, the store manager said they were probably experiencing five thefts per day. “If you do the math, that would mean they should have reported over 200 incidents, but the police had only received eight reports in that six-week timeframe.
“So you can understand why the police weren’t necessarily focused in that area and you can see how it’s easily grown. So reporting crime is one of the areas I would really like to encourage,” Bourne tells Convenience Store.
On the same side of the coin, she says it’s important that what retailers report is good quality. “It’s got to be evidence that is actionable. From the police’s point of view, there’s no point in providing CCTV footage where it’s all grainy and you can’t get anything from it. Then saying the police are useless because you’ve given them something that they can’t do anything with.”
Bourne recognises the cost of new technology, but advises retailers interested in investing to consult with their local police forces and Business Crime Reduction Partnerships for recommendations on reliable CCTV systems.
She also explains that the police now use a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS), which is a “much better system” accepting video evidence and is “much easier to upload.”
Additionally, Bourne encourages retailers to engage with their local PCCs by making sure they take business crime seriously. “If they have a local business crime partnership, it would be beneficial to join or at least contribute to it. For example, I chair one in Sussex on a quarterly basis. The partnership provides an opportunity to work closely with the police, who can specify the types of quality evidence they need from retailers to report those crimes effectively,” she tells.
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