The event was championed by Stewart Codling, Chief Inspector at Thames Valley Police and well attended by the Police with talks given by Thames Valley Police Commander Emma Burroughs, Superintendent Ewan Livingstone and the event was also supported by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber and Thames Valley Police Neighbourhood teams, who spent time engaging with members of the public and collaborating with retailers and security experts to support businesses and employees to have all the latest protective equipment that can help them fight back against high levels of retail crime in the town.

Security Experts from Learn CCTV and Smokescreen helped co-ordinate the day by gathering other companies to ensure a full line up of security solutions were on offer including experts from Hikvision, SelectaDNA, Secured by Design, Resure, DISC, MRS Communications and ASEL.

The event featured a series of presentations and interactive demonstrations showcasing the various preventative technologies, including fogging machines, advanced CCTV, DNA sprays, and more, offering practical solutions to combat retail crime alongside Jayne Horne, Protection Advisor at Matalan who provided a retailers perspective.

Stewart Codling, Chief Inspector at Thames Valley Police writes:

“This event was about all of us coming together in collaboration to create safer environments for retailers whilst ensuring that we, the police, have the best opportunity to disrupt and pursue those who choose to steal or use violence. I am so grateful to High Wycombe Business Improvement District for pulling this together and Eden Shopping Centre for providing the space as well as to the security experts for providing a wonderful show of preventative measures.  This has contributed to a fantastic event and enabled many positive conversations.

Thames Valley Police is committed to its High Wycombe business community and I’ve been pleased with the recent response from my officers – arresting violent and repeat offenders and obtaining Criminal Behaviour Orders to ensure ongoing protection.  Policing has a significant part to play in this fight against retail crime and we will continue to develop our understanding of the key issues faced by those within our business communities whilst improving our operational response.”

Supt Patrick Holdaway, lead for the NBCC said: “The week of action is coordinated nationally but it very much focused on local crime and ASB issues impacting retail and other businesses in the community. It is as much about engaging with businesses and the public as it is about identifying and catching prolific offenders. Last year’s week of action saw some fantastic results in targeting those who cause the most harm to businesses and also in building ongoing relationships between business, partners and the police.”

Melanie Williams, CEO at HWBIDCo writes “We have been delighted at the opportunity to host this event in High Wycombe, as a town, we feature high on national retail crime ‘leader boards’ but generally do not have the higher levels of resourcing at our disposal that bigger towns and cities have, to this end I am particularly grateful to local businesses, Thames Valley Police and the security experts for supporting our wider campaign to resolve this and in ensuring businesses are heard and guaranteed an effective police response, ultimately businesses are willing to invest in improvements but need an effective place-based partnership to do so.

It is clear that the Police cannot enforce crimes they do not know about and the business community needs to take more responsibility for reporting crime and protecting its employees from violence and abuse alongside supporting the Police with better enforcement and Buckinghamshire Council in addressing the root causes of crime.

As part of a follow up meeting hosted by High Wycombe BID, a group including local and national retailers, High Wycombe MP Emma Reynolds, the head of the National Business Crime Centre Patrick Holdaway, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber and Association of Town and City management CEO Ojay McDonald met for a wider discussion on retail crime, crime causes and appropriate response types.

These initiatives are part of a broader effort in High Wycombe to tackle retail crime in the town centre and enhance the safety and wellbeing of shops, staff, and customers.