Police and Crime Commissioner Roundtables - Newcastle

At the BRC we are running a series of roundtables with Police and Crime Commissioners around the country to bring together local retailers and police representatives. The roundtables are an opportunity for retailers to give feedback on crime, violence, abuse and shoplifting to the PCC and police directly, outlining the issues in the area, and to discuss practical solutions going forward. They are also a chance for the PCC and local police representatives to lay out their action plans and to answer questions, and to build closer, on-going partnerships between the local community and police to tackle retail crime. 

On Tuesday 28th of November local retailers met with Northumbria PCC Kim McGuinness in Newcastle to discuss these issues, and to construct a practical way forward in what is an increasingly difficult environment for retailers and their staff. 

The meeting was a productive one, with retailers laying out some of the challenges they are facing around reporting, police attendance, disconnect between forces amongst others. It was a frank discussion, with local police offering candid answers on the how they are hoping to meet these challenges going forward. With a huge amount of work to do, and protection of our retail colleagues front of mind, the discussion was focused on practical solutions and building a stronger partnership between businesses and the police. 

We hope the roundtable will be just the beginning of a sustained and useful dialogue to help reduce retail crime in Newcastle. 

Future roundtables are currently in the pipeline, with dates to be confirmed in the coming weeks.