Cost of living crisis in focus at police commissioner’s annual business summit
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) annual Business Summit is scheduled to be held next week focusing on the cost of living crisis.
The event will take place on Thursday 18 January from 6 pm to 8.30 pm at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Birmingham.
The Cost of Living crisis is affecting West Midlands business communities significantly. Since the end of the covid there have been increases in violence against frontline workers, a rise in fraud, increasing rates of cybercrime and a significant uptick in thefts.
The West Midlands PCC has been working hard to bring business communities together to address these issues. He has established the countries first public health approach to fraud steering group, engaged with numerous retailers on a one to one basis to get to grips with the ASB and thefts they are experiencing in their stores and has set up a regular working group focused on violence against shopworkers.
The cost of living crisis however links all of these crimes.
West Midlands PCC Simon Foster said: “The Cost of Living crisis is affecting West Midlands business communities significantly. Since the Covid pandemic we have seen increases in violence against our frontline workers, a rise in fraud, increasing rates of cybercrime and a significant uptick in thefts.
“I have been working hard to bring business communities together to address this. Abuse, threats and violence towards retail workers is completely unacceptable. It will not be tolerated. It is not and never should be part of the job.
“I am committed to rebuilding community policing, so as to provide preventative, proactive, problem solving and visible policing to prevent, tackle and reduce abuse, threats and violence towards retail workers and retail crime.
“My Offender to Rehab scheme has also successfully saved businesses in Birmingham more than £800,000 by breaking the cycle of offending.”
Click here to book your place at the WMPCC’s Business Summit 2023.
