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Safer Business Action Week is an annual, national campaign bringing police forces, business leaders, retailers and partners together to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and improve awareness of their impact on businesses and retailers. 

Organised by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) the initiative demonstrates the power of working in partnership and showcases the ongoing work of PCCs, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, Business Improvement Districts, private security providers and local police to hold prolific offenders accountable for the harm they cause residents, businesses and their employees. 

To mark the start of the week of action, APCC Joint Business and Retail Crime Leads, Katy Bourne OBE and Andy Dunbobbin yesterday said: 

“Businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, creating jobs, supporting vital public services and driving economic growth and prosperity. It is critical we continue to work effectively together to tackle the crime threats that prevent our high streets from thriving. 

“Every year, too many UK firms experience crime while the number of violent or abusive incidents towards shop workers increases. PCCs have been instrumental in bringing retailers and policing together under the Pegasus Partnership whilst also creating, via OPAL, a national intelligence capability around organised shop theft. Additionally, PCCs have supported new legislative protections under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 that will strengthen the response to these issues in future with measures including a new standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker and the removal of the £200 threshold for shop theft. 

“PCCs and Deputy Mayors continue to drive innovation in their local areas, deploying new digital platforms to make reporting crime easier and more efficient, pioneering personalised support systems to help offenders address the underlying causes of their behaviour and increasing the use of technology, such as GPS tagging, to reduce reoffending and aid rehabilitation. 

“Safer Business Action Week provides an opportunity to highlight and intensify the year-round action to address the risks facing businesses and retailers and heighten awareness of the practical steps communities can take to prevent crime and reduce harm. While progress continues to be made, it is more important than ever that we keep working hard to bring about positive change. It shows just what can be achieved by not accepting the status quo and recognising that retail crime is neither victimless nor harmless.” 

• Katy Bourne OBE is the Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex 
• Andy Dunbobbin is the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales