Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis is urging people to back local companies this Small Business Saturday, 6 December.
Small Business Saturday is a national movement to encourage people to shop local and support small businesses in their communities. Special Small Business Saturday events and promotions will be taking place throughout Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Mr Ellis has commissioned the Business Crime Matters strategy to help beat business crime and promote economic growth, spearheaded by his deputy Sue Arnold, herself a former president of South Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce.
As part of the strategy, a new Business Crime Advisor service will soon be launched to give specialist support and guidance to local businesses who are victims of crime in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Mrs Arnold said: “Businesses are the lifeblood of our local communities but times are tough for small retailers and as a local organisation we need to support our local businesses. Small Business Saturday is a fantastic reminder to do this – not just for one day but the whole year round.
“The total price tag of burglary, shoplifting, robbery, criminal damage, theft and other crime against businesses in Staffordshire is estimated at over £7,300 an hour.
“Nationally, over a third of businesses fail to report crime. We want to change this in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent by making sure that business crime is taken seriously and that local companies get the support they need.
“Very shortly, we’ll be announcing more details about the new Business Crime Advisors service which is a key part of the Business Crime Matters strategy.”
Businesses can find out more about Business Crime Matters or sign up to free business crime alerts at www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/business
For more details on Small Business Saturday go to https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/ or follow @SmallBizSatUK on Twitter.
