WARWICKSHIRE residents are urged to be mindful of shopworkers as part of the national annual #ShopKind campaign.
Coordinated by the Association of Convenience Stores on behalf of the home office, the campaign is supported by major high street retailers as well as smaller independent shopkeepers.
It has been supported by members of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board including Warwickshire County Council’s Community Safety Team, the Office if the Police and Crime Commissioner and Warwickshire Police.
The campaign aims to encourage positive behaviour and acknowledge the importance role of shopworkers.
Phil Ponsonby, chief executive officer at The Midcounties Co-operative, said: “Campaigns like #ShopKind demonstrate the power of co-operation in tackling important issues such as retail crime.
“Ensuring our colleagues are treated with respect, kindness and gratitude is paramount and we will continue to work closely with local police, the ACS, and USDAW to do good together in tackling abuse against shopworkers.”
Philip Seccombe, Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Retail crime will not be tolerated in Warwickshire, everyone deserves to feel safe at work and that is why I am proud to be a #ShopKind champion.
“I want to improve the outcomes of retail crime in Warwickshire. We now have five new town centre officers, providing visibility and helping to improve engagement with retail businesses.
“I also provide funding to the Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative (WRCI), which aims to support the development of better links between police and retailers, as well as providing funding towards Warwickshire Business Watch and Warwickshire’s Hate Crime Partnership, which help provide people with information and ways of reporting.”
