Safer Business Action Week – East Herts

Officers across East Herts joined forces with local partners for a national week of action last week, to help tackle business and retail crime.

Safer Business Action Week, an initiative run by the National Business Crime Centre, saw police and partners visit retailers and other businesses to understand more about the issues they are facing.

Engagement events and targeted patrols were also carried out during the week, to provide a visible presence and pass on crime prevention advice.

Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth

• Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards joined the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) as they visited businesses around Bishop’s Stortford town centre on Monday (14 October).
  They met with some of the local partners who are working hard to fight crime and keep people safe. This included Joint BID manager Madeleine Lees and staff from Jackson Square shopping centre. They also dropped in to Waitrose to discuss new crime prevention measures.
• Local businesses were visited during routine patrols, to pass on advice around ‘target hardening’, making it more difficult for thieves to operate.

East Herts Rural

• The NPT conducted patrols at Little Hadham business park. They spoke to business operators and invited them to fill in a survey via Herts Connected about crime in the local area.

Hertford

• Officers from the NPT visited shops and small businesses across Hertford to discuss any issues and pass on advice.
• A business crime prevention event took place at Matalan.
• PC Harrison caught up with businesses on Fleming Crescent in the Sele area and encouraged them to share their views for the PCC’s police and crime plan.
• Officers held an additional event at Marks and Spencer on Monday evening. They carried out high visibility patrols to deter shoplifting and signed people up to the Herts Connected community messaging system.

Ware and Stanstead Abbotts

• NPT officers conducted patrols around local businesses, checking in with them and offering shop owners the chance to have their say on the PCC’s police and crime plan.
• A covert operation was conducted at Asda in Ware, during peak shoplifting times.

East Herts Chief Inspector David Cooke 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.”