Officers from the West Midlands Police city centre team joined forces with partners at Central BID and Birmingham City Council on Tuesday, October 17 to conduct patrols and store visits in the city centre.

This Safer Business Action Week (16-22 October), the force’s neighbourhood teams are out and about, keeping an eye on local businesses and spreading essential crime prevention advice.

The #ShopKind campaign against retail violence is in the spotlight, with local businesses proudly displaying support posters in their windows.

Some businesses have felt the impact of increasing theft, crime, and anti-social behaviour in the city centre and raised concerns for the safety of their staff and customers.

Shoplifting isn’t just about stolen items and money lost, it’s a blight on the city and businesses and takes a toll on their hardworking staff too.

The message is clear: every shop worker, regardless of their role or the size of the business, deserves respect and a safe working environment.

In areas where specific issues have been identified, our patrols have been ramped up to provide a more reassuring presence. The officers are working with businesses and members of the public to identify and target prolific offenders and reduce crime that causes harm to businesses.

West Midlands Police stated: “Our efforts to tackle business and retail crime form part of our everyday work through prevention, intelligence sharing, targeted enforcement, and community engagement.

“We work closely with businesses and retailers to boost their security measures, such as upgrading CCTV systems, improving lighting and instore security.

“We also have a range of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour and take action against repeat offenders. From civil injunctions to criminal behaviour orders, community protection notices to public space protection orders, closure powers, and dispersal orders – we’re not afraid to use them when needed.”

Some of the most prolific offenders are now serving time behind bars or are banned from the city centre thanks to these powers.

Additionally, the National Business Crime Centre website has lots of useful advice and includes things like crime prevention guides, CCTV advice and videos for staff on dealing with shoplifters and calming difficult situations.

People can take some time to visit the website, read the guidance and take action: https://nbcc.police.uk/business-support

If you have witnessed or been a victim of a crime, please call police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

If you want to report or give information about a crime or incident anonymously, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.