Partnership working at its best, SaBA Week 2025 Protects Town and City Centres.

The National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) has compiled a national overview of activity delivered by Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs) and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) during Safer Business Action (SaBA) Week 2025, which took place in November.

The report captures a week of coordinated enforcement, prevention, and engagement activity across the UK, as police forces, BCRPs, BIDs and local authorities united to disrupt prolific offenders, strengthen intelligence sharing and support retailers facing ongoing retail crime and anti-social behaviour.

Across towns and cities, partners delivered tangible results. in Derbyshire, the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership (DBCRP), working alongside Derbyshire Police and local partners, delivered a comprehensive programme of enforcement and business engagement. The week saw 20 offenders arrested for shop theft and 38 charges secured, many resulting in immediate custody. A total of 109 shop theft incidents were reported, alongside eight robberies involving threats of violence, underlining both the scale of the challenge and the impact of coordinated action.

Southampton partners focused on high-harm offenders and anti-social behaviour hotspots across the daytime economy. The operation resulted in 12 arrests for offences including shoplifting, breach of bail, assault on security staff, criminal damage, and sexual assault, alongside six dispersal orders. In Cheltenham, six arrests were made, more than thirty deterrent interventions were conducted, and over £1,200 worth of stolen goods were recovered through multi-agency collaboration.

Elsewhere, Bolton saw a targeted operation tackling illegally modified e-bikes and anti-social behaviour in pedestrian zones, resulting in the seizure of eight modified bikes and arrests linked to drugs and weapons offences. In Gravesham, G-Safe coordinated intelligence-led activity that highlighted 22 serious offenders from 39 reported incidents, including organised crime groups.

Rapid intelligence sharing through DISC, ShopSafe and local radio networks proved central to the week’s success, enabling suspects to be identified and detained swiftly, in some cases within minutes of offences being reported.

Alongside enforcement, SaBA Week placed strong emphasis on prevention and safeguarding. Hospitality providers received Child Sexual Exploitation awareness training, businesses promoted Violence Against Women and Girls initiatives including Ask for Angela, and counter-terrorism awareness sessions were delivered. Knife crime compliance audits, age-verification checks and business crime forums further strengthened long-term resilience.

Hundreds of retailers were engaged nationally, receiving tailored advice on reporting, evidence gathering, and crime prevention tools. In many areas, new businesses signed up to local information-sharing schemes, reinforcing protection beyond the action week itself.

Safer Business Action Week 2025 once again demonstrated the strength of partnership working. Through coordinated enforcement, intelligence-led activity and proactive business engagement, partners delivered clear operational outcomes while reinforcing long-term resilience across high streets nationwide.

Read The National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) full report here: NABCP Report