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Ipswich Central chief executive Lee Walker committed to tackling retail crime – as more than 350 offences clocked in seven months




A business leader has reiterated his commitment to tackling retail crime in Ipswich – after more than 350 incidents were reported in the past eight months.

Lee Walker, chief executive of Ipswich Central Business Improvement District (BID), said he was eager to work with partners as part of a collective pledge to stamp out shoplifting and other crimes.

Mr Walker was one of several people representing retailers, businesses and BIDs who attended the first Suffolk Retail Crime Forum at Portman Road Stadium last week, which looked to deal with these issues across the county.

Lee Walker is the chief executive of Ipswich Central. Picture: Ipswich Central
Lee Walker is the chief executive of Ipswich Central. Picture: Ipswich Central

He previously said the forum, and police commitment to tackling crime, as a ‘positive step in the right direction’.

Mr Walker said reducing retail crime in the town centre was a key priority for him since he came into the role three months ago.

He said: “It’s important to realise that these offences are not victimless crimes and we have a clear priority to tackle them.

The Ipswich Street Security team. Picture: East Anglia Agency
The Ipswich Street Security team. Picture: East Anglia Agency

“Thefts not only have an economic effect on businesses but also a human impact. We hear from members of staff who just want to go to work and offer excellent customer service but have to deal with people entering with other motives.

“Since I took up my role, I’ve had the opportunity to work with police. It’s been refreshing to see them, as a force, lead and take retail crime seriously and suggest the best practice to deal with it.”

Ipswich Central employs the services of My Local Bobby (MLB), a private security firm, to patrol the town centre and confront shoplifters, those engaging in anti-social behaviour or other similar offences as part of its Street Security scheme.

The security team replaced the town’s old Street Rangers. Since MLB was brought in back in February, 368 retail offences have been clocked.

Of these, 80 per cent related to shoplifting and 20 per cent to anti-social behaviour.

Street security have also aided police with 45 arrests in the same time frame, usually on known wanted people. Of 31 reports made to the police, 24 saw officers attend, which the BID said highlighted the benefits of collaboration.

Ipswich Central estimated that between £11,000 and £13,000 in goods were stolen from shops in the town centre since February, with about £8,000 in stock having been returned.

About 1,800 visits to businesses have been made in total.

Mr Walker said the Street Security team was amazing at recovering stock, which allowed police to focus on handing out criminal orders and targeting the most prolific offenders.

The BID’s commitment to tackling crime would be led by data and would focus on tackling organised crime, he said.

He said the vast majority of thefts and other similar crimes were typically handled by a small portion of criminals.

According to Ipswich Central’s data, clothing, alcohol, sunglasses, CDs, DVDs and domestic products such as washing powder tablets were the most commonly taken items, with Saturday being the busiest day for criminals.

Regarding the retail crime forum, Mr Walker said it was good to talk about collaborative working, while also being in the room with major retailers.

“We need to talk about collaboration between partners as more than a buzzword,” he said. “We all have to do our jobs to the best of our ability.”

Ipswich Central will continue to make use of its Street Security team as its eyes and ears on the ground, he said, to make sure they have effective information on tackling persistent offenders.

However, he believed collaboration between businesses and police would have an effect on crime levels in the town.

Mr Walker added: “It’s a complex issue and I hope as we drill into these prolific offenders and get these people criminal orders, or into prison, this should have a marked impact on crime, although we’ll never be able to eradicate it entirely.

“Our largest partners are police and Ipswich Borough Council and we’ll ultimately end up working with rehabilitation and reoffender services to ensure people reform and change their lifestyle.

“We want to reduce retail crime, but these individuals need help to turn their lives around.”

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