Mid-Warwickshire firms given business crime update
Companies in mid-Warwickshire have been given an insight into how the devastating effects of business crime are being tackled in the region.
Philip Seccombe, the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, was the guest speaker at Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Mid-Warwickshire Local Business Forum, which took place at St John’s House in Warwick.
Businesses heard about the history of the building before a roundtable discussion on the current economic climate.
That was followed by an update by the Police and Crime Commissioner on the work his office is doing to tackle business crime.
He said: “In Warwickshire we are supporting a joined-up approach between police, retailers and licenced premises, with the aim of tackling prolific offending in shops, bars and pubs across the country.
“We have been speaking to representatives across the whole retail sector to understand how they are affected by crime, what works well in tackling it and where improvements are needed.
“I’m encouraged by the work that Warwickshire Police and forces nationally are already undertaking to raise the profile of business crime, and bring offenders to justice, which is starting to show some really positive results.
“We will have five new town centre police officers in place by April, working across the main town centres in each district and borough. The aim is to further boost visibility and engagement with retail businesses.
“We are now putting twice as many offenders before the courts than we were six months ago, which is significant. We’ve also doubled our positive action rates in Warwickshire for retail crime.
“Of course, digital and cybercrime is a very clear and present danger to businesses of all sizes and sectors too, that is why I provide funding to Cyber Safe Warwickshire where residents and businesses can go to learn about the latest threats as they emerge and how they can keep safe when they go online.”
Sean Rose, head of policy at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Our local business forums are a great chance for firms in our area to share any issues they are facing and, also, their success stories with one another.
“It’s also an opportunity to hear from local leaders on topics that affect businesses on a day-to-day basis. We were delighted to be joined by Philip Seccombe and it was a chance to get under the skin of what is happening with business crime in the area, ask questions and gain valuable insight on how it is being tackled.”
