A year on from the riots Met Police works with retailers to curb crime

After speaking to those impacted by the unrest last year and liaising with the British Retail Consortium, the Metropolitan Police has drawn up Quality Standards for Business Engagement, which includes appointing a point of contact within every London borough.

Almost 7% of all the country’s retail outlets were impacted by the riots last year.

The commitment aims to improve how the Met Police communicates and responds to businesses and other communities in London.

The police will introduce a three-tier model to manage business engagement to “drive innovative partnership working and information gathering”.

Metropolitan Police Service DAC Stephen Kavanagh witnessed the destruction of the riots first hand. He said: “We fully acknowledge the importance of businesses within our communities and it is crucial for the police to have effective engagement with businesses no matter how big or small. Effective policing cannot succeed without it.”

Business engagement action plans and business crime partnerships will play a core role within borough control frameworks to tackle businesses’ greatest concerns.

The police also promise to work with leading business figures, as well as trade associations and other relevant groups.

Good practice will be shared across the Metropolitan Police.

British Retail Consortium head of crime policy, Catherine Bowen, said: “The violence highlighted how vulnerable the retail sector can be and therefore how important it is that we are able to work well with the police.

“We’ve been working extensively with the Metropolitan Police to make sure they understand the role retailers play in local communities and to show them how businesses can support the fight against crime. In particular, it’s good to know businesses will soon have a single point of contact in every London borough they can liaise with and get reliable information from.”

Bowen said improved communication across the Olympics has benefited retailers over the past week.

The Metropolitan Police has also set standards for engaging with communities and young adults.