A Shropshire town has become the first We Don’t Buy Crime Retail Area.
Earlier this week, retailers in Church Stretton were offered We Don’t Buy Crime property marking kits which includes SmartWater forensic property marking and warning stickers.
Retailers can display the stickers in their window warning would be thieves property within the store is marked.
It will be up to the retailer to decide which items they mark, and as the liquid is invisible to the naked eye, thieves will not know if the item they are stealing has been marked or not.
The initiative will act as a deterrent to shoplifters and burglars and help make the town centre a safer place for the local community to enjoy.
Shropshire Policing Commander, Superintendent Mo Lansdale, said: “I’m really pleased we’re able to provide retailers in Church Stretton with our We Don’t Buy Crime anti-theft kits.
“The town centre is generally a safe place, however, we know the impact crimes such as burglary and theft can have, particularly on smaller retailers where shoplifting can have a huge impact on their livelihood.
“We know most retailers already have good crime prevention and security measures in place and this initiative is the latest step in helping them and helping to make the town centre even more undesirable to thieves.”
Signage will also be placed at key points in the town centre warning thieves’ crime prevention steps have been taken.
We Don’t Buy Crime Retail Areas is the latest initiative as part of the We Don’t Buy Crime Towns and Villages, first launched in Cleobury Mortimer in 2015, aimed at tackling acquisitive crime and associated harm.
Since then the award winning initiative, which is supported by West Mercia and Police Crime Commissioner John Campion, has gone from strength to strength and now has five main strands including work with second-hand stores, fuel stations, utilising covert tactics and working with local communities to tackle associated harm.
Earlier this month, farmers were offered We Don’t Buy Crime Farm Packs as part of the initiative.
We Don’t Buy Crime is absolutely committed to doing all we can to support our local communities and help prevent people from being a victim of not just acquisitive crime but associated harm too.
For more information about We Don’t Buy Crime visit www.wedontbuycrime.co.uk Follow the team on Twitter @wedontbuycrime or visit the We Don’t Buy Crime Facebook page.