HC Deb 23 January 1996 vol 270 cc121-2W
Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to reduce crime against retail premises; and if he will make a statement. [10244]

Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: There are many measures in place to reduce retail crime. The retail action group, an associate group of the Home Office crime prevention agency board, has produced booklets for retailers on preventing burglary, robbery, and violence to staff; further guidance on the prevention of customer theft, and external fraud, and on making an arrest will be published later this year. The group is also looking at ways of identifying and promulgating best practice, and considering the uses of technology in crime prevention.

The use of closed circuit television can make a significant contribution to reducing crime against retail premises, especially when it forms part of a package of crime prevention measures. The Home Office has helped to spread the use of CCTV through the publication of guidance on its use, and through last year's CCTV challenge competition in which the majority of successful bids were from partnerships which wished to install security cameras in shopping centres and high streets in town centres around the country. A further CCTV competition in which £15 million will be available is to be held this year, and it is likely that shopping areas will again be major beneficiaries.

The British Retail Consortium is making a valuable contribution through the programme of work being pursued by the retail crime initiative. This initiative, which aims to develop the retail perspective in inter-agency crime prevention initiatives, is an important and valuable way of raising the general awareness of retail and town centre crime and of encouraging retailers to work together to beat crime.

The projects carried forward by local partnerships, business and shop watch schemes, ring round schemes, police advice on the part that building design can play in preventing crime, as well as the numerous individual police force initiatives being pursued across the country all contribute to retail crime prevention. The safer cities programme has also funded a number of schemes aimed at improving the security of retail premises.

The recently published Home Office commercial victimisation survey singles out for the first time the effect of crime on commercial victims, and we are continuing to analyse the data collected so that retailers, the police and others can target their crime prevention initiatives to best effect.

The Home Office was represented on the Health and Safety Executive committee which last year published guidance for employers on the prevention of violence to retail staff in the workplace; and we also contributed to the funding of a non-profit-making video for retailers on the prevention of customer theft, which was produced by Compass Vision Ltd.