Police forces, councils and retailers across the UK are joining forces this week for Safer Business Action Week 2026, a national week of action against business crime and abuse of shop workers that runs from 9 to 15 November.

The week is led nationally by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC). It brings police forces, businesses, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, Business Improvement Districts and security partners together to tackle retail crime, anti-social behaviour and other offences affecting businesses in their communities.

This year, four national campaigns are coming together for the first time. The NBCC's Safer Business Action Week will run alongside the Association of Convenience Stores' ShopKind campaign, Usdaw's Respect for Shopworkers Week and the Retail Trust's Let's Respect Retail campaign. All four focus on protecting retail workers from abuse, violence and intimidation.

"Retail workers should be able to go to work without fear of abuse, threats, or violence," said Supt Lisa Maslen, lead of the National Business Crime Centre. "By bringing Safer Business Action together with ShopKind, Respect Week and Let's Respect Retail, we can combine awareness, prevention, support and enforcement."

The joint week comes as the new Crime and Policing Act's crackdown on retail attacks and theft is expected to come into force. The Act makes assaulting a shop worker a standalone offence, ends the 200 pound threshold for prosecuting shoplifting and introduces Respect Orders to ban repeat offenders from public spaces.

Last year's week shows the scale of the operation. Figures reported to the NBCC by 32 police forces in England and Wales and British Transport Police showed that more than 4,200 police officers and staff were deployed, around 1,400 events took place and almost 7,000 businesses and partners were engaged. The activity also resulted in more than 1,100 arrests and 650 charges for retail crime offences.

In Warwickshire, partners are joining forces under the Safer Warwickshire banner. Warwickshire County Council's Community Safety and Trading Standards teams, district and borough councils, Warwickshire Police, the Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative and Business Improvement Districts will work together through the week to tackle prolific offenders, provide crime prevention advice and carry out joint patrols across the county.

This year's theme in the county is respect and kindness in retail environments, encouraging shoppers to support shop workers through the #ShopKind message. Retailers can download free #ShopKind resources from the NBCC website.

"Our businesses, their employees and their customers all have an important part to play in creating safe and welcoming town centres across Warwickshire," said Councillor Robert Gisbourne, chair of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board. "Safer Business Action Week is an opportunity for partners and communities to stand together against retail crime, violence, abuse and anti-social behaviour."

Philip Seccombe, Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, said nobody should go to work expecting to face abuse, threats or violence. "Retail crime is not victimless. It affects staff, businesses and the wider communities they serve," he said.

Residents are also being urged to report traders selling illegal products such as counterfeit alcohol and cigarettes, which harm legitimate businesses and put consumers at risk. Reports can be made to Warwickshire Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133. Businesses across the county can get free and impartial advice on crime and cyber crime prevention through Warwickshire Business Watch, which also sends targeted email alerts on recent criminal activity.

The NBCC says the work does not stop when the week ends. The contacts made and the information shared during Safer Business Action Week help police and partners keep working together throughout the year, and businesses are encouraged to keep reporting incidents and speaking to their local police force, business crime partnership or BID about the problems they face.