IN an effort to combat business crime in communities, Devon & Cornwall Police in South Devon recently took proactive action to protect local retailers and pursue offenders in the area.

The intensified week of action resulted in officers speaking to nearly 150 retailers to provide them with crime prevention advice. 900 hours of patrols were carried out, including a mixture of high visibility and plain clothes patrols.

A number of prolific offenders were arrested for shoplifting offences, with one receiving an 8-week prison sentence and another remanded.

The outreach aimed to help business employees recognise suspicious behaviour and educate them about how to make their store ‘less desirable’ for shoplifters.

Chief Inspector Miranda Pusey, who heads up neighbourhood police teams across South Devon, said: ‘Business crime can take many forms, with each offence having a negative impact on both the retailers’ livelihoods and the wellbeing of employees.

‘We understand how frustrating it can be for businesses to be targeted by criminals.

‘This is why we’re focusing on strengthening our relationships with retailers across South Devon. Working together with shops enables us to share key safety and crime prevention tips, while gathering information about prolific offenders to build our cases.

‘This way, we can tackle business crime as a united front; we need support from our retailers to tell us what’s going on so that we can build evidence against offenders, while they need to know that we’ll be there when they need us.

‘Ultimately, we want to create a safer environment for both business owners and consumers.’