Laura Trott MP hosted a roundtable with District Chief Inspector Lizzie Jones, local retailers, the council and me earlier today to discuss retail crime.
Laura has been proactive in working with Sevenoaks Police and myself to find solutions to these problems and raise local concerns.
During the discussion we heard from retailers of all sizes about the challenges they are facing with thefts and violence towards their staff.
Kent Police have been working hard to prosecute perpetrators, and in doing so using all the available powers they have to get people banned from stores using court orders.
There will be more visibility in our town centres as the new neighbourhood policing model is implemented, with extra Officers being deployed into local Beats to provide that important link with residents and businesses.
And more is being done to target repeat offenders through intelligence gathering and data monitoring.
This is one of my own priorities at the moment and I will continue to report back on the progress being made. I am grateful for the opportunity Laura has provided to meet with these businesses today.
