Police officers tackle business and retail crime in Herts

Police were out and about in both boroughs meeting with the business community as part of Safer Business Action Week. The week is an initiative led by the National Business Crime Centre.

Across the awareness week, officers from the Welwyn Hatfield Neighbourhood Policing Team met with local business owners to speak about any concerns and give safety advice. 

In addition, the team held stalls where businesses could pop along for advice.

A Welwyn Hatfield Neighbourhood Policing Team stall (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary) While there was a focus on preventing business and retail crime, the stalls were open to all local residents wanting to speak with their local police team.

On Tuesday, October 15, neighbourhood officers met shoppers in Sainsbury’s, Welwyn Garden City.

The next day (Wednesday, October 16), officers set up stalls outside Moors Walk shops in Panshanger and inside Asda, Hatfield.

A Welwyn Hatfield Neighbourhood Policing Team stall (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary) Inspector Amy Sheldon, from the Welwyn Hatfield Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took the time to speak to us across the week, whether that was to seek advice or share their views.

“Whilst at Moors Walk, we took the opportunity to speak to the local shop staff about antisocial behaviour as this had previously been a problem in the area. We are working to ensure this problem stays in the past.

“Offences against businesses can take a variety of forms and have a real impact on both individuals and communities. We are determined to tackle business and retail crime and we will continuing working hard on this all year round.”

A series of engagement events and targeted patrols were also carried out in Hertsmere during the week, to provide a visible presence and pass on crime prevention advice.

In Potters Bar, a meeting was held with retail managers to discuss the common issues they are facing and how police can assist.

The NPT were once again joined by Civil Enforcement Officers for a partnership event outside Superdrug in Darkes Lane on the Monday.

They visited local retailers to discuss any issues and sign them up to the Shop Watch scheme. The partnership then visited retailers in the High Street the following day.

On the Wednesday, officers joined staff from Nationwide in Darkes Lane for a crime prevention event around fraud and scams.

During the evening, they then conducted a joint engagement event at the train station alongside colleagues from British Transport Police.

A test purchasing operation was carried out at local shops to ensure that underage sales weren’t taking place.

Officers were assisted by the Hertsmere Volunteer Police Cadets during the operation and all 13 shops visited passed.

An engagement event was also held outside Tesco Express in Shenley on Sunday, October 20. The event helped to provide a visible presence to deter crime and was an opportunity to pass on crime prevention advice to shoppers and sign them up to Herts Connected.

Three people were charged in connection with shoplifting offences during the week, as a result of targeted enforcement.

Hertsmere Chief Inspector Ashleigh Hair said: “This annual week of action is an opportunity to shine a light on the issues that businesses face on a daily basis.

“It’s also a chance to highlight the work that police and local partners do all year round, to try and tackle these issues.

“We understand the impact that crime has and we’re committed to working with businesses to help reduce offences.”