Robust response to keep businesses safe in North Yorkshire and York

Business-related crime will be in the spotlight as police launch a major campaign across York and North Yorkshire.

Next week, four days of action will be held across the force area – in Scarborough, Northallerton and two in York.

They’re run with the support of the National Business Crime Centre. Each Safer Business Action (SaBA) Day will see North Yorkshire Police deploy extra resources alongside retailers and partners to clamp down on criminals who target shops, restaurants and other businesses.

Detective Inspector Ryan Chapman, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Businesses support our communities by providing employment and leisure. And offences against them can have a really significant financial impact on people’s livelihoods, not to mention the impact on staff fearing crime and violence.

“That’s precisely why it’s so important that we work alongside our partners and listen to local businesses – it means we can take action to stop businesses being targeted in the first place, and bring offenders to justice.

“The fact that these Safer Business Action Days are being held across York and North Yorkshire shows how seriously we take this type of crime, and gives us an opportunity to highlight the work we are doing to tackle the issue.

“These days aren’t just a one-off. Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams will continue to work closely with businesses to reduce the impact of this type of crime.”

Safer Business Action Days will take place in Scarborough on 18 March, Northallerton on 19 March and York on 20 and 21 March.

In Scarborough on Monday, police join local authority staff in proactively visiting town centre businesses. They will discuss ongoing work to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, give advice about business security and safeguarding, and circulate a questionnaire to determine the issues businesses face. The Mobile Police Office will be in the town centre to give members of a public the chance to meet their local police team. And there will be robust action targeting known shoplifters and those persistently involved in anti-social behaviour.

In Northallerton on Tuesday, officers will speak to businesses on industrial estates in outlying areas, including those that have proactively sought visits, and those that have been recent victims of crime. In the town centre, there will be an event in the town hall to discuss retail crime and answer any questions. And in the evening, there will be visits to businesses involved in the night-time economy, including those that have recently had to call the police or been victims of crime.

On Wednesday, police in York will focus on visits to retailers - speaking to staff, assisting them with any policing queries or issues, and offering a high-visibility presence in and around city centre shops.

On Thursday, also in York, officers will proactively and robustly target those responsible for retail crime and related anti-social behaviour, particularly during the evening. In an intelligence-led operation, police will be deployed in hotspot areas at key times to deter offences.

Superintendent Patrick Holdaway of the National Business Crime Centre said: “Violence and abuse against shop workers is never acceptable. The National Business Crime Centre have been working with key stakeholders in police, retail, business crime reduction partnerships, business improvement districts and security providers to deliver a series of ‘Safer Business Action Days’ to support the National Shopkind campaign to protect shop workers, and deter, disrupt and detain persistent and prolific offenders.”

We will always treat retail crime seriously, in particular when a crime is in progress, and there is the use or threat of violence, injury or damage. And we will pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry to help identify suspects, including obtaining CCTV footage and statements from eyewitnesses. (In 2023, we published 131 appeals featuring CCTV of people they wanted to speak to in connection with shoplifting and similar offences).

We encourage all business owners to follow the crime prevention guides on our website. These include tips on how to spot a shoplifter, prevent diners leaving without paying, deter burglars, and protect against vandalism. Please visit our Business crime prevention pages.