Business crime on the agenda

Katy Bourne, Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, is urging shops to report incidents of aggressive behaviour. Speaking during a meeting of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel, she said shops should particularly report if there was any violence involved. She also called on the Criminal Justice System to take such crimes seriously.

Calling violence against shop workers ‘absolutely intolerable’, she added: “Where shop workers are assaulted and abused, if that offender comes to court they need the full weight of the law handed down to them”.

“It’s really giving businesses the confidence the police will respond, giving the police confidence that businesses will report, and that the justice system is there to deliver the appropriate sanctions when the time comes”.

“We need to see a culture change that refuses to accept that shoplifting is one of those inevitable costs of operational activity within a store”.

“It shouldn’t be. Theft is a crime and crime needs to be dealt with appropriately.”

A report to the panel showed that business crime in Sussex rose by 8% in 2019/20, with an extra 1,510 incidents recorded. Theft and handling stolen goods rose by 1,166 cases to 13,365. And while violent crime dropped by 17 cases, there will still 330 such crimes reported. Brighton & Hove recorded the most business crimes in Sussex, with 4,696 cases in 2019/20 – a rise of 568.