Shoplifting in Liverpool city centre is something we work closely with both our high street businesses and Merseyside Police, along with our other city centre partners as it is a real concern. Our role is to make the city centre as welcoming and safe an environment for everyone, and that includes our retailers who are on the frontline of hospitality and customer service.

As part of our BID Safety Partnership, we continue working alongside Merseyside Police and the business community to address and resolve any safety issues. We fund two full-time Merseyside Police Officers who provide our Levy Payers with a direct response to non-emergency enquiries about safety, anti-social behaviour and security issues seven days a week.

Our Radio Link Network connects 180 active businesses to provide reassurance and intelligence sharing, operating 24 hours a day using high-quality digital radios that have access to the main city channel. There are dedicated support services, CCTV and technology, including an App, to help both monitor and report crime in the city centre.

It’s critical that we are giving retailers the confidence, support and opportunity to report every instance of shoplifting and share intelligence. Every crime, no matter how small, should be reported to Merseyside Police. Currently, staff feel confident reporting shoplifting via the DISC App, which is funded by BIDS in the UK and makes it easy for them to report shoplifting from the shopfloor and front of house.

No one wants to see levels of shoplifting increase, but it’s vital we know the scale of the issue and we make city centre businesses understand that they are protected.

Merseyside Police Crime Prevention advice
Find out more on BID Safety Partnership