As highlighted in our earlier blog, winter, and especially the lead-up to Christmas, is a time when homeowners and businesses need to be vigilant about the threat of criminals and ensure their security systems are effective.
In recognition of this, the government has backed the Winter of Action that has been launched by police forces across the country to support local authorities, businesses and community groups. This followed a similar campaign earlier in the year, the Safer Streets summer initiative.
The government said this took place in almost 650 town centres and resulted in over 16,000 arrests and fines, mostly for shop theft and anti-social behaviour. Targeted visible patrols also increased by almost 20% this summer compared to the previous year, largely in town centres.
Additionally, the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee has meant that from July there are named, contactable officers in every community, increased peak time patrols in town centres and anti-social behaviour leads in every force. From spring next year there will be 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles.
Now, over the busy Christmas period, the government said 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.
West Midlands Police, that covers Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton and the surrounding towns, and West Mercia Police, are taking part in the Winter of Action. West Mercia Police is particularly focusing its operations in Worcester, Evesham, Redditch, Shrewsbury, Kidderminster and Telford as well as specific areas in Droitwich, Malvern and south of Birmingham.
Chief Superintendent Paul Joyce, West Midlands Police force lead, said: “We want everyone to feel like they can relax and enjoy themselves during the festive season and beyond.
“Our Winter of Action activity is all about providing visible reassurance for all of those people who live, work and visit our town centres.”
Businesses supported to tackle retail crime
Paul Gerrard, Director of campaigns, public affairs and policy, at the Co-op, said: “Co-op is focussed on British high streets, and welcomes a nationwide crackdown on retail crime this winter, as we are confident the tide of criminality can be turned and have seen crime levels decline in the Co-op during 2025. But this must be just the start.
“We continue to invest significantly in wide-ranging safety and security measures, and we need police to continue to attend more often and government to maintain the focus they have on the issue.”
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, that represents larger retailers, said: “It is encouraging to see government taking action against retail crime which has climbed over the past few years.
“Last year saw record highs of theft, violence and abuse, and incidents tend to spike around Christmas.”
This latest initiative also follows Safer Business Action Week 2025, which took place last month which was organised by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) operated by The City of London Police. Thirty-two police forces, as well as the British Transport Police (BTP), took part in this campaign that targeted high-footfall retail areas, transport hubs, and known hotspots, providing a visible deterrent those tempted to commit crime. Retailers and police shared intelligence on prolific offenders, crime trends, and local threats, allowing teams to respond quickly and effectively. This resulted in 1100 arrests and 650 charges over the five-day focused operation.
Meanwhile the government’s Crime and Policing Bill is now in its committee stage in the House of Lords. This law will give the police new powers to tackle shop theft and anti-social behaviour . This includes a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, ending the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods of and under £200, and the introduction of Respect Orders. Retail trade bodies and the main union for the sector, Usdaw, have been campaigning for some time for the specific offence to be introduced.
How can Ecl-ips support businesses to tackle crime?
The security and monitoring solutions offered by Ecl-ips can support small businesses, including retailers, in Birmingham, as well as across the West Midlands and the Cotswolds. This includes easy to manage cloud-based CCTV, intruder alarms and access control systems that give business owners peace of mind. The systems can be managed remotely through apps installed on mobile devices and include the latest software features, such as video analytics. It also means you can easily monitor your commercial and residential properties within the online platforms.
The advanced software of both the on-premise and cloud-based systems can provide accurate real-time alerts and evidence if police investigate a crime. If you are a business owner looking to strengthen your crime prevention measures, or would like to ensure you are fully insured, then get in touch.