November 06, 2025 - 239 views
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and joint Lead for Business and Retail Crime at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Andy Dunbobbin, has given his full support to the National Business Crime Centre's (NBCC) Safer Business Action Week aimed at reducing business crime across the country.
The initiative, running from 10 November, will see police forces and partners collaborating on targeted operations and community engagement to raise awareness of business crime.
Business crime takes various forms, including shoplifting, business burglary, assaults against staff, and making off without payment.
These offences can have significant impacts on businesses, ranging from immediate financial losses to long-term consequences such as increased insurance premiums, costs for additional security measures, and harm to staff wellbeing.
During the week, businesses trading on high streets and town centres are also encouraged to get involved and display the ShopKind messaging in their stores. Commissioner Dunbobbin is a strong supporter of the ShopKind campaign, which unites the retail sector to tackle violence and abuse against shopworkers by encouraging respectful behaviour in retail stores.
To mark the week of action, the PCC will be visiting Bangor on Tuesday, 11 November to learn more about policing in the city and local officers’ determination to combat crime and support local businesses. This comes as wider activity geared towards the regeneration of the city centre ramps up.
Mr Dunbobbin will be holding a public meeting at Storiel regarding policing in the local community and will follow this with a walk around the High Street area.
PCC Dunbobbin will also be joining North Wales Police on Wednesday, 12 November for a Business Engagement Day in Beaumaris.
Officers will be calling on local businesses to share crime prevention advice and meet business owners. The day is being led by North Wales Police’s Cyber crime Team, who will also be visiting Llangefni and Gaerwen during the week for similar outreach sessions.
Finally, the PCC will also be heading to Flint Retail Park, accompanied by colleagues from Flintshire Youth Justice Service, to speak to retailers about the impact of crime in the area, and to discuss how partners can work together to reduce incidents of crime on the park.
Andy Dunbobbin, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales said: "The fight against business and retail crime is a key part of my Police and Crime Plan for North Wales. That’s why I fully support this national week of action, which is a crucial step in addressing the challenges faced by our business community. By working together with local businesses and partners, we can prevent and tackle business crime across North Wales.
“Ensuring our business community have the confidence to invest in our high streets, free from the fear of crime, can only help our economy flourish and make our town and village centres more welcoming places for residents and visitors alike. I thank North Wales Police for all their efforts to combat business and retail crime up to now and look forward to seeing more progress in the months to come."
Chief Inspector Siobhan Edwards of North Wales Pollice’s Prevention Hub commented: “North Wales Police is firmly committed to reducing business crime and pursuing those responsible for these crimes. Safer Business Action Week is a welcome opportunity to say to criminals that their activities will not be tolerated in North Wales and to let business owners know that we are here for them when the need arises.
“Throughout the week, we have officers out and about engaging with business owners around matters including cyber crime and providing advice to them on licensing issues. Our We Don’t Buy Crime teams will also be out speaking to residents, while other Officers will be having pop up sessions in stores to speak to customers.
“Officers will also be giving lessons in schools to students around shoplifting. But all this work is only part of the action we are taking year-round in the fight against crime in our towns and villages. Together we can go even further towards making North Wales a safer and more secure place for business owners and customers.”
Find out more on Safer Business Action Week here: www.nbcc.police.uk/business-support/saba-days
