MP said businesses are 'haemorrhaging money' while calling for grants to boost security

Maidenhead’s MP said businesses are 'haemorrhaging money' due to shoplifting as he reiterated calls for targeted retail security grants to be introduced for independent businesses.

Hetal Patel, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, said he is ‘greatly encouraged’ after the issue of retail crime he had raised with Mr Reynolds was once again highlighted during a debate in the Commons last week. 

Mr Patel, who owns the Stop ‘n’ Shop in Shifford Crescent, Maidenhead, was announced as the Fed’s new president last year and represents 10,000 retailers within the trade organisation.

Last October, Mr Patel called for the Government to provide grants to allow smaller businesses to boost their CCTV, amid rising shoplifting incidents.

He also met with Mr Reynolds, who has previously worked in retail managing branches of Co-op, to discuss the challenges caused by retail crime.

Speaking in the debate on Tuesday, March 4, Mr Reynolds said: “Every time we visit shops in our constituencies we will hear the same thing about shoplifting having effectively been decriminalised.

“Thieves do not fear consequences because there are none, and shoplifting has risen by 48 per cent in England and Wales over the past five years.

“Shop owners tell me time and again that when they contact the police, they are told it is not an effective use of resources to follow up on minor thefts.

“However, these are not minor thefts to the people running those businesses, and they are not minor to the staff, often young people, who are being put in harm’s way simply for doing their jobs."

Following a meeting between the Fed and Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney, in December, the Liberal Democrats announced they were backing the Fed’s proposals to introduce retail security grants to enable small businesses to install higher-quality CCTV and boosted security measures.

In the speech, Mr Reynolds added: “With over 800 offences going unpunished every day, businesses are haemorrhaging money, driving up costs for consumers and pushing businesses to close their doors for good.

“So here is a concrete proposal that the Government should adopt: a small shop needs about £6,500 for adequate modern CCTV, so the Government can make available grants for half that cost to every independent convenience store, and they can work with high street lenders to provide affordable loans to cover the rest.

“This is not just our idea: it is supported by the Federation of Independent Retailers.”

Hetal Patel said: “I am greatly encouraged that Joshua continues to work closely with the Fed to ensure the voice of all independent retailers is heard in Parliament, particularly on the massive impact of retail crime.

“We look forward to meeting with Mr Reynolds again in the near future and we continue to work with MPs across Westminster to highlight the impact of this problem.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are determined to tackle the unacceptable levels of shop theft, and we are seeing real progress. Charges have gone up by 21%, with one in five offences now resulting in one.

“Alongside major reforms to policing to put more neighbourhood police on our streets, we are giving police the powers they need to tackle shop theft, which includes providing £7million over the next three years to support police in addressing retail crime.”