Crackdown on Coventry shoplifters as problem costs shops thousands of pounds

New measures and reporting methods are being implemented in Coventry to target prevalent shoplifting in the area, amid a surge in shoplifting rates in the city.

The new initiatives have been introduced by the Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) team in collaboration with Coventry Police, after a recent increase in incidents of violence against retail staff in the city.

The local police force and the BID team hope that the new plan will strengthen the execution of anti-shoplifting measures in Coventry.

The BID’s Security Manager, Stuart Grainger, stressed that the “safety and security of businesses and visitors […] is our main priority,” as “retail theft continues to be a major challenge” in the city.

The [new] software is designed to aid incident reporting and enable intelligence sharing in order to track offenders across shops in the city

The partnership’s main proposal was the introduction of crime management software to help tackle the surge in shoplifting incidents.

The software is designed to aid incident reporting and enable intelligence sharing in order to track offenders across shops in the city.

By reducing under-reporting and building a clearer scope of criminal activity, the software ensures that shoplifting responses can be both fast and effective.

Crime Reduction Meetings will be held to support the implementation of the software, with the meetings aimed at collaborating with local retail stores, businesses, and banks in order to tackle the problem collectively.

The BID’s street patrol teams are also working more closely with in-store security staff and the team at the city’s CCTV control room to ensure rapid and co-ordinated responses to incidents

The meetings will also provide further insight, allowing BID members to raise concerns, ranging from shoplifting to financial crime, and to feed directly into resource planning.

Alongside these new measures, the BID’s street patrol teams are also working more closely with in-store security staff and the team at the city’s CCTV control room to ensure rapid and co-ordinated responses to incidents.

In July alone, street patrol teams recovered over £2,000 of stock, which contributes greatly to the total £9,000 of stock recovered over the past 12 months.

Coventry Police also maintain a visible presence in this operation, with Sgt Richard Owen noting: “We have officers out on patrol helping ensure that Coventry City Centre is a safe place to live, work, and visit.”

Together, these measures showcase how technology, communication, and partnership can strengthen business confidence and improve safety across Coventry.