“Flagship” high streets, including London’s Oxford Street, are at risk without urgent national action on crime, a consortium of retailers has said. Once seen as a major shopping destination, Oxford Street has struggled in recent years – becoming better known for phone snatching and sweet shops.
High Streets UK, a group that represents 5,000 UK businesses, is calling for ring-fenced funding for police to protect key shopping destinations. The body includes members from business improvement districts in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Newcastle.
Dee Corsi, chair of High Streets UK and chief executive of founding member New West End Company, said: “Flagship high streets are engines of the local and national economy, drivers of tourism, and anchors for communities. But without urgent national action on crime, they are at serious risk. We have welcomed the Government’s renewed focus on retail crime in particular.
“But we must go further and faster to tackle all types of crime affecting high streets, having a devastating effect on businesses and communities, tarnishing the UK’s global reputation, and jeopardising tourism and investment.” According to the most recent official statistics, the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in 2024 surpassed 500,000 for the first time.
Ms Corsi said it is critical for additional funding for policing in the upcoming spending review to be ring-fenced for key high streets. “The UK’s flagship high streets are important cultural and economic centres – with High Street UK locations generating over £50 billion in economic value every year – yet growing complex challenges around crime and anti-social behaviour put these locations at risk,” she said.
“Take London’s West End – the internationally renowned home to Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street is an important driver of jobs, investment, and tourism, contributing 3% of the capital’s economic activity.
“Despite this, continued underfunding of policing has left it facing real issues including anti-social behaviour, shop theft and organised business crime. Through the collective voice of High Streets UK, we are calling for the Government to recognise the value of these locations – as economic hubs, anchors for community, and tourism destinations – by ring-fencing dedicated police support.
“Failing to do so puts growth, and flagship high streets, at serious risk.” High Streets UK held its second quarterly meeting on Wednesday, drawing up four key points that it is urging the Government to tackle.
Ms Corsi added: “At our Safer High Streets Forum, we shared our frontline experience of the international criminal gangs, business crime, prolific offenders and anti-social behaviour affecting our high streets – none of which can be meaningfully tackled with the current systems and resources in place.” High Streets UK has called for boosted police numbers around high streets, separately measuring performance for the specific areas.
It wants immediate jail terms for those who breach criminal behaviour orders, quicker sentencing for crimes linked to retail, and a focus on repeat offenders. And it is calling for national measures to tackle organised crime that affects high streets including begging gangs, and the creation of a national framework for businesses to report crime.
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