PARTNERSHIP TO TACKLE CITY CENTRE CRIME AT CHRISTMAS
Wolverhampton City Centre Company (WCCC) and West Midlands Police are launching a robust programme to target shoplifters in the run up to Christmas as part of the Christmas Cracker operation.
Additional work will be undertaken with members of the CitySafe radio link scheme which enables shops, pubs, transport operators, the police and local authority to communicate effectively about anti social behaviour, shoplifting, counterfeit money and the movement of ‘undesirable’ people.
Kim Gilmour, city centre manager said: “A programme of additional training has been put together in time for staff to become fully proficient before the busy Christmas Period. The ultimate aim is to decrease crime and improve customer and staff safety; we want to make Wolverhampton safe and welcoming for visitors but unwelcoming for shop lifters.”
Working closely with retailers via the newly re-launched Radio Link scheme WCCC will be compiling information about known offenders and training staff on how to prevent shop lifting and how to deal with offenders. The radio system provides an important link between shops to track the movement of both opportunist and prolific shop lifters.
The police will be following up with evidence to secure ‘CRASBO’s’ anti social behaviour orders attached to criminal punishment, where convicted shop lifters will, for example, be banned from the city centre.
Sergeant Steve Edwards said: “We are determined to reduce the amount of shoplifting in the city centre which has a cost to everyone in terms of increased prices to cover stock losses and the amount of police time spent on dealing with offenders. We want front line shop staff to work closely with us and ensure that we tackle this sort of anti social behaviour with a joined up approach that makes Wolverhampton a place for shop lifters to avoid.”
