Businesses are ‘afraid’ due to shoplifting response times, Thames Valley Police boss told

Matthew Barber heard concerns from councillors on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel, representing Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire on Friday (8 November).

Councillor Lubna Arshad said: “At the moment, [retailers] are quite afraid because of the response times. I have seen there is more patrolling going on, but I would like to see more visibility.”

Mr Barber said police attendance where ‘suspects were still on the scene’ was being monitored in Thames Valley and explained call handlers prioritise incidents according to risk.

He said an ongoing shoplifting incident where someone was being assaulted, for example, required an immediate response, whereas a non-violent incident that already happened, might not require a visit by officers.

In response to shoplifting, Mr Barber’s office has funded the ongoing free rollout of the app Disc to all retailers in Thames Valley to allow them to report crime.

He told the panel: “This is not to replace 999 when you have got something going on. This is to replace waiting on 101 or using the TVP website.”

Mr Barber said the app allowed shops to share information ‘quickly’ with neighbourhood policing teams and other businesses, for example by providing CCTV images and descriptions of shoplifters.

Between April 1 and October 8, 2024, TVP recorded 2,135 ‘positive outcomes’ for shoplifting offences, a 77 per cent increase from 1,206 in 2023. Positive outcomes are formal actions against offenders.