Safer Business Action Week: GMP crackdown on Leigh retail shoplifting

As part of the national Safer Business Action Week campaign, Greater Manchester Police has been patrolling Parsonage Retail Park today (Tuesday, October 15) as it has previously been identified as a shoplifting hotspot.

Placing a laser focus the Parsonage Way retail park over the past year, the local police team has used a "three strand approach" to tackle retail crime; focusing on building relationships between retail businesses, improving security measures, and targeting repeat offenders.

With this approach "strengthen[ing] the community between businesses", police say that they are encouraged by the signs that their "blueprint" for tackling retail crime in Leigh is working.

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Officers patrolled the retail park as part of the Safer Business Action Week campaign (Image: GMP) As part of the relationship-building process, officers have consistently visited Parsonage businesses to build trust and encourage them to share intelligence with the police and neighbouring companies.

Security measures have also been improved over the past year, police say, including enhanced CCTV and lighting as well as more efficient safety procedures and effective product placement.

A major part of the approach has also been to identify the most prolific offenders for shoplifting and retail crime, with more than ten Criminal Behaviour Orders handed out over the past year.

These orders prohibit offenders from doing certain acts or being in certain areas and have helped to deter recurring acts of shoplifting around Parsonage Retail Park.

Officers have regularly patrolled Parsonage Retail Park since identifying it as a shoplifting hotspot (Image: GMP) Speaking about the retail crime approach, Sam Davies, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Leigh, Atherton, and Tyldesley, said: "People often see retail crime as a victimless crime but retail staff can be subjected to violence, threats, or intimidation, so it is a bigger issue than people think.

"Parsonage Retail Park was flagged as a repeat location for shoplifting and retail crime, so using guidance from the Retail Crime Action Plan, we implemented this three strand approach to put various things in place over the past year.

"There will be spikes at times when certain offenders are released from custody, but there has definitely been a reduction in retail offences and anti-social behaviour at the retail park over the past year.

"We have also strengthened the community of businesses to work with us and work with each other, and this collaboration helps us all to share information and detect and prevent retail crime.

"There is always work to do, but we see this approach as a blueprint for how to look after businesses across the town centre."

The police has worked with the council to introduce safety marshalls in Leigh town centre (Image: Wigan Council) In addition to the targeted approach at Parsonage Retail Park, Inspector Davies explained that the police are constantly working with partners such as the council to patrol the town centre and tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Inspector Davies added: "There are some great initiatives going on in Leigh, including the focus on retail crime and the safety marshalls patrols in the town centre.

"I want to maximise the number of visible officers in high-vis patrolling the streets, but these marshalls help fill the gaps when our neighbourhood teams are elsewhere or  sent to emergencies.

"What we want is for people to feel safe in Leigh and want to spend money and support these businesses."

More information about GMP's work around Safer Business Action Week can be found here.