“Winter of Action” Retail Crime Campaign

03/12/2025

The Fed has welcomed the Government’s “Winter of Action” campaign to target retail crime with a stronger Neighbourhood Police response over the Christmas and New Year period.

Commenting, the Home Office said: “To keep communities safe over the busy Christmas period, police will use hotspot patrols, quick visible enforcement, and locally tailored approaches, working closely with businesses and community groups to clamp down on shop theft and street crime across hundreds of town centres.”  

The Government initiative follows the Safer Summer Streets Initiative which the Fed fully backed following growing concern about retail crime. That campaign resulted in focused action in 650 town centres and over 16,000 arrests and fines, with a 20% increase in targeted visible Police patrols, according to Home Office data.

Commenting at the start of the Safer Summer Streets initiative, National President Hetal Patel said, “Shop theft is often seen as a victimless crime, but that is not the case. It takes a heavy toll mentally, physically and financially on shop owners… A recent Fed survey found that 72 per cent of respondents had experience of retail crime in the past year.”

The Fed’s Political Engagement Coordinator, Doug Oliver, said: “The Fed was at the launch of the Safer Summer Streets initiative and it was good to discuss concerns about Retail Crime there with the Home Secretary directly because it has such an impact on our members and their ability to provide important goods and services for their customers.

“We are also in constant contact with Government Ministers as well as Police and Crime Commissioners and hope to speak with the Police Minister, Sarah Jones MP, soon. Whilst we back this initiative to target retail crime, we are also calling on the Police to do all they can to tackle this problem throughout the year and throughout the country.”