Police respond to claim officers 'not bothered'

Toolbox says its store in Nuneaton has been targeted by shoplifters

Police have issued a letter defending their efforts to keep a town centre safe, following complaints from a business that officers have not been bothered to respond to reports.

The letter comes after an article in the Coventry Telegraph claims the owners of Toolbox in Nuneaton have been forced to install a serving hatch following a spate of thefts.

Mitch Ward, who has worked at the store for a decade, told the paper: “At one point we were having between 10 to 15 shoplifters a day.”

Police say they regularly engage with shops to ensure they know what support is available to them.

In an open letter, posted on the force’s website, Insp Kris Shore said: “Over the past six months, we have been taking decisive action across the county against shoplifters, leading to twice as many thieves ending up in court and doubling our positive actions as a result of investigations.

“We are also aware of issues with anti-social behaviour in the town centre and have been actively identifying and targeting suspects and acting to issue them with community orders.”

He said police had seen the comments made by Toolbox, which included suggestions police had not supported them when they have been the target of robbery and shoplifting.

“This is not the position of Warwickshire Police,” Insp Shore said.

“We have put dedicated resources into the town centre to address the concerns of all business owners.”

'Takings down'

Mr Ward told the Coventry Telegraph the business was suffering a loss of sales as a result of installing the hatch.

He said: “Our takings are down around 5%, as we aren't getting people coming in to browse," he explained.

“But when you look at that compared to the stock we were losing, it is a lot better.”

He added: "Staff morale is a lot better too.

“We want people to know that we are not closed, we are trying to make it safer and by doing this, we are stopping crime in town as they (the criminals) are not getting the tools they need to commit crime.”

Warwickshire Police said it encouraged all residents and business owners to report incidents online, or to dial 999 if there is a crime in progress.