New backing for businesses to protect their livelihoods and staff from crime

Businesses across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland are to benefit from extra high-tech security resources to tackle retail crime and protect their employees thanks to a new funding boost.

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has shared £46,853 between nine local councils and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) as part of his mission to safeguard local livelihoods and support joint solutions to prevent business and retail crime.

The funding is being invested in a series of advanced interventions from CCTV cameras and retail radio handsets through to personal safety alarms for shopworkers and e-learning safety courses for retail staff.

It comes after the PCC previously invested £52k in 110 Body Worn Videos (BWV) for independent retailers who are frequently the target of violence and shoplifting.

This funding was distributed across the area’s Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and BIDs, with organisations eligible to apply for up to 25 BWVs for allocation to retailers.

The PCC has talked to businesses and retailers at length during his community walkabouts and patch days about the impact of shoplifting, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and threats and assaults on shopworkers.

Business Crime is a key priority in his Police and Crime Plan with the PCC committed to equipping businesses with the information and resources they need to protect themselves from crime and to eliminate the harm posed to their employees.

The PCC has also vowed to roll out more crime prevention programmes to help businesses reduce their risk and to make it easier to report crime while ensuring the force pursues all reasonable lines of enquiry and investigates business crime effectively.

“I want our businesses to thrive across our region but to do so they must feel supported and listened to,” said Mr Matthews.

“I meet business owners and shopkeepers every day. They are frustrated that their livelihoods are coming under constant threat by undeterred criminals and are worried for their frontline staff.

“There’s a misconception that shoplifting only hurts proprietors – this couldn’t be further from the truth. It hits all of us in the pocket, pushing up prices, inflating insurance premiums, triggering job losses and weaking our economy. Together, we must fight back.

“This is why I am pleased to be taking positive action, funding practical resources that will not only serve as a greater deterrent to criminals but will also increase the chance of detection and improve evidence-gathering.

“I take crimes against businesses and retailers extremely seriously and will continue to do everything possible to deliver the strong and robust response retailers rightly expect with the money behind it to make a difference.”

The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) shows the PCC’s unprecedented focus on preventing crime in the first place is paying dividends, with the area continuing to outperform both regional and national averages for shoplifting and a series of other crime types.

The PCC remains committed to sustaining this progress, supporting businesses through targeted investment that enables them to proactively reduce risk and strengthen their resilience.

Among the organisations to successfully bid for funding is Hinckley and Bosworth Council which has been awarded £5,183 towards the improvement of its existing retail radio network, funding additional radios, chargers and batteries.

Blaby District Council has received £4,900 towards the installation of a Geofencing bollard to protect businesses and pedestrians from ram raiders and an upgraded CCTV system while BID Leicester has been awarded £5,200 to cover the cloud service linked to the 25 BWV devices it secured during the first round of funding. The latest grant will provide cloud service for an extra two years, bringing the total coverage to three years.

Meanwhile, Rutland County Council has received £5,270 to support its Rutland Retail Crime Initiative, funding DISC and refurbished retail radio handsets. DISC is an information sharing app which empowers business owners to share information about incidents and offenders between themselves so they can better protect themselves against crime and keep their property, employees and customers safe. It also enables them to report incidents to the police quickly.

Full the full list of recipients visit: https://bit.ly/BusinessCrimeGrants25-26

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