Bristol Broadmead businesses say thefts are on the rise

Ashley Brown, who owns a clothes store, said shoplifting in the city centre was getting worse

City centre retailers are calling for more police action, claiming there has been a rise in theft and anti-social behaviour in the past two years.

Businesses in Bristol's Broadmead said they have had arranged more security patrols to deter criminal behaviour.

Avon and Somerset Police said a day of action was recently held in response to pleas from businesses.

Ashley Brown, who owns Spaceboy UK store, said thefts have hit profits and led to higher insurance premiums.

"Being in the centre it is pretty bad, when it comes to people coming in you have to spot them and most of them are known as well," he said.

"They really don't care, they are just literally walking into shops, taking what they want and walking out, and staff can't fight them.

"If you're not making money then you can't stay open and that's the damaging effect of shoplifting."

Mr Brown lost £15,000 in an overnight burglary in January

Mr Brown's clothes store was also hit by an overnight burglary in January, in which £15,000 worth of stock was taken.

In response he installed metal security rollers, which also added to his costs.

Police said shops must report thefts to enable officers to get the support they need.

'We need knowledge to act'

Its day of action, on 8 March, also involved the National Business Crime Centre, private security firms and the Broadmead Business Improvement District (BID).

Acting Insp Richard Jones said afterwards the "fantastic" day, which saw four people ending up in custody, had yielded some positive results.

The day of action involved police and private security firms

"A particular highlight is a burglary that was reported at a local supermarket, leading to a proactive arrest within two hours," he said.

"While it may seem obvious, the police can only respond to crimes and incidents that are reported to us; if we don't know about something, we cannot act.

"We hope proactive events such as this will build public confidence among the business community and increase reporting of issues to allow us to take the necessary action against perpetrators."

Mr Brown said his shop was regularly targeted by shoplifters

Head of Broadmead BID Vivienne Kennedy, said she believed thefts in the area were "under-reported".

"We hear anecdotally that there is an increase in shoplifting and an increase in anti-social behaviour," she said.

"A big part of our job is to try and encourage retailers to report any crimes that they see because that obviously impacts the resources that the police and other organisations can put into the area."

Head of Broadmead BID Vivienne Kennedy said she believed shops were "under-reporting" thefts

Shop assistant Maristela Huana said sometimes people were stealing from shops and then selling those items in front of the shops they stole it from.

"[Business owners] end up losing their income because there are people selling something for a lower price outside, something they stole," she said.

Martin Leeder, of private firm Total Security Services that operates in the area, said: "Violence against shop workers has been increasing significantly over the last couple of years.

"A big trigger of that is shoplifting. For example if a shoplifter is caught or is challenged that often leads to violence or abuse."

Police said it would "conduct full and thorough investigations" following any incidents of violence.

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