Retail Crime, Safety and ‘Winter of Action’

Retail Crime, Safety and ‘Winter of Action’

Retail crime, anti-social behaviour and safety concerns are not abstract issues; they affect how people feel in their local high streets, town centres and communities every single day. For retailers, BIDs and councils, these challenges translate into very real risks: threats to staff, financial losses, reduced footfall and a decline in public confidence.

At Serve Legal, we are working with organisations across the UK to address these issues head-on. Our work spans retail crime, venue safety, safety perception and non-compliant knife sales, all with a clear aim: safer streets and more welcoming communities.

A “Winter of Action” on Retail Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

This morning, the Home Office has announced a nationwide “Winter of Action” crackdown on retail crime and anti-social behaviour. This initiative will see police forces, councils and retailers coordinating hotspot patrols and visible enforcement across hundreds of town centres over the Christmas period.

This builds on the Safer Streets Summer initiative, which delivered more than 16,000 arrests and a reported fall in public concern about anti-social behaviour. We are pleased to see this continued focus. Coordinated enforcement and a visible presence on the streets are essential to rebuilding confidence for both the public and frontline staff.

Tackling Knife Crime: HEX Zones and Local Focus

As part of this programme, the government is piloting new “HEX” zones – hyperlocal areas identified as knife-crime hotspots. These areas will receive increased attention from police and local partners.

This aligns closely with our own work on non-compliant knife sales, where we support retailers to ensure that age-restricted and high-risk products are sold safely and lawfully. Preventing knives from getting into the wrong hands is a critical step in reducing serious violence and making communities safer.

Protecting Women and Girls: Night-Time Safety

The announcement also includes specific action to tackle violence against women and girls during the Christmas and New Year period. This will involve increased patrols in nightlife hotspots and a focus on the threat of illegal drink spiking.

For venues, this reinforces the need for robust safety measures, staff training and clear incident reporting procedures. Feeling safe on a night out should be a baseline expectation, not a luxury. Serve Legal supports venues and operators to test, measure and improve their safety practices – from entry policies and ID checks to staff awareness and response to customer safety concerns.

Vibrant High Streets Need Visible Safety

The government has tied this “Winter of Action” into its broader Plan for Change, including a mission to create vibrant high streets and to restore neighbourhood policing, with an additional 3,000 neighbourhood policing roles from spring next year.

Thriving high streets depend on more than just good retail and hospitality, they rely on people feeling safe, welcome and protected. That means staff who feel supported, customers who feel confident visiting town centres day and night, and retailers, BIDs and councils working together, backed by clear data and evidence.

How Serve Legal Can Help

This is a mission we are deeply passionate about.

For our retailer clients, we test compliance, reduce non-compliant knife and age-restricted product sales, and monitor behaviours linked to retail crime so that staff, customers and stock are better protected. We support BIDs by helping them understand real perceptions of safety and using that insight to shape local strategies for safer, more welcoming high streets and town centres. We also work with councils and authorities to provide robust evidence, target interventions where they are most needed, and measure the real-world impact of safety and enforcement initiatives over time. 

We welcome the government’s recognition that retail crime, safety and anti-social behaviour require serious, sustained action. However, we remain confident that policy and enforcement alone are not enough – practical, on-the-ground insight and accountability are also essential to support change.

If you have concerns, questions or are looking for advice or practical support in any of these areas, Serve Legal is here to help. Feel free to get in touch to discuss how we can support your organisation and your community.