Salisbury partnership marks first year of joint action against business crime

A partnership bringing together businesses, police and local authorities in Salisbury has marked its first anniversary, with closer working relationships helping to improve the response to shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in the city.

The Salisbury Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) was launched in November 2025 to help businesses and Wiltshire Police share information, identify repeat offenders and work together to tackle crime affecting the city centre.

The partnership brings together local businesses, Wiltshire Police, Salisbury BID, local authorities and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), with the past 12 months seeing closer cooperation between retailers and neighbourhood policing teams.

Recorded shop theft in the Salisbury BCRP area of the city centre fell by almost 12%, from 220 offences in the 12 months to September 2025 to 194 in the 12 months to September 2026.

Over the same periods, shop theft arrests fell from 37 to 24. In the 12 months to October 2026, Wiltshire Police recorded 64 positive outcomes for shop theft in the BCRP area, with a Further Action Taken (FAT) rate of 31.6%, compared to the national average of 23%.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said the first year had shown the benefits of businesses, police and other organisations working together to tackle retail crime:

"Retail crime has a real impact on businesses and the people who work in them. It's not just about what's stolen. It's about the disruption, the financial cost and the effect that repeated incidents can have on staff who are simply trying to do their jobs.

"When the partnership was set up, the aim was to bring businesses and the police closer together, make it easier to report crime and ensure that information was being shared so action could be taken against those responsible.

"That's what we're starting to see in Salisbury. Businesses are working more closely with their local policing teams, sharing information and helping officers build a better picture of the people causing problems.

"Whilst we've made a good start, we know these problems haven't gone away. The challenge now is to build on what's been achieved in Salisbury and use what we've learned to help businesses in other parts of Wiltshire and Swindon."

Alongside the work to identify and tackle offenders, businesses have welcomed changes to how they report crime.

A direct reporting system introduced through the partnership allows retailers to report incidents to Wiltshire Police without having to use the usual online reporting process or call 101.

Chief Inspector Carly Nesbitt is the Business Crime tactical lead for Wiltshire Police:

"Reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in Salisbury relies on strong partnerships and effective information sharing. Through the Salisbury Business Crime Reduction Partnership, we are working alongside local businesses, Salisbury BID, Wiltshire Council and other key partners to identify repeat offenders, respond to emerging concerns and prevent issues from escalating. This collaborative approach helps us target those causing the greatest impact on our communities, support victims and businesses, and maintain a safe and welcoming environment across the city centre."

It also means businesses can share information about incidents and suspected offenders with one another, helping police understand where problems are occurring and who may be responsible.

A review of the direct reporting system found that Wiltshire Police received 43 reports from participating Salisbury businesses between March and August 2026. Of these, 84% related to theft or attempted theft.

Keith Jackson is Salisbury City Council’s CCTV Manager:

“The Business Crime Reduction Partnership has strengthened the relationship between local businesses, Wiltshire Police and Salisbury City Council CCTV. Improved intelligence sharing has helped us identify repeat offenders more quickly, support investigations more effectively and provide a more coordinated response to retail crime and anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

The partnership has made it easier for information to flow between partners, helping us make better use of CCTV evidence and contribute to a safer environment for businesses, staff and visitors."

For Salisbury BID, one of the biggest improvements over the past year has been the way businesses and police now work together.

Arnold Catterall is the chair of Salisbury BID:

"One of the things businesses have told us is that they want to know what's happening when they report crime and feel that the information they're providing is being used.

"That's what we've been working towards over the past year. We're bringing businesses and the police closer together, making it easier to share information and helping everyone get a better understanding of the problems we're facing.

"The direct reporting system has made a real difference. Shop staff are busy, and taking time out to report something through the usual channels isn't always straightforward. Having a quicker way to do that means businesses are better able to tell the police what's going on.

"It's been a positive first year, and we're keen to build on that by getting more businesses involved."

Cotswold Outdoor is among the retailers taking part in the partnership and has seen the benefits of being able to report incidents and share information with other city centre businesses.

Aaron Brindley is the manager of Cotswold Outdoor in Salisbury:

"When you're working in a busy shop, the last thing you want is to spend a long time reporting an incident, particularly when you're trying to look after customers and support your colleagues.

"Being able to report directly to the police through DISC has made things much easier for us. We can share what's happened quickly, and it also helps to know what other businesses are experiencing.

"There's a sense that we're all working together rather than dealing with these problems on our own. That's probably been one of the biggest benefits of being involved."

Work is already under way to develop Business Crime Reduction Partnerships in Trowbridge and Swindon, building on the approach established in Salisbury.

The expansion forms part of the Commissioner's Police and Crime Plan commitment to tackling retail crime and strengthening the links between businesses and neighbourhood policing teams.

Published Monday 9 November 2026