'I represent the UK hospitality industry - extra police on the streets is vital to help cafés and pubs thrive'

This month, the Government is rolling out its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, following the July launch of the Home Secretary’s Safer Streets Summer Initiative. This is a milestone we strongly welcome as a move to keep people safe and help futureproof high streets across the country.

As part of the commitment, we understand that UK neighbourhoods will each have dedicated and named police officers, who residents are able to contact and will be guaranteed a response within 72 hours. In addition, town centre patrols will be boosted across the busy summer months, to tackle town centre crime and antisocial behaviour.

There’s no doubt that a thriving high street is one that – among other things - is safe, too. Town centres and high streets are at the heart of our communities and we back the government’s move to strengthen such a vital part of UK living. A well-lit, busy and welcoming high street is a deterrent to crime in itself, and hospitality is central to creating that positive, vibrant atmosphere.

The move also protects the importance of hospitality businesses as part of this rich tapestry, recognising how much of a staple our sector is to towns and cities nationwide. Our venues are the lifeblood of these community hubs. They are the coffee shops that kickstart the day, the cafes where workers buy lunch, the pubs where colleagues unwind, the restaurants that host family celebrations and the late-night venues that form a vibrant part of our culture.

This diverse ecosystem doesn’t just drive footfall; it creates a sense of place. A boarded-up high street is not just an economic failure; it’s a social one. Our venues aren’t just places to socialise and celebrate, but also to feel safe in a welcoming community.

It is devastating to have seen the rise in retail crime making headlines and this is something that unfortunately heavily impacts our sector, too. Hospitality is equally as vulnerable, and it is awful to see our businesses be a target of theft and hit by crime. For example, ‘dine and dash’ is a major challenge faced by operators currently, whereby guests leave a venue without paying some or all of their bill.

Of those affected, nearly 30% have seen an increase in such incidents compared to the previous year. But the impact is more than just financial. These incidents create an atmosphere of distrust and place our team members in deeply uncomfortable and potentially confrontational situations. We hope the new policing measures coming into play will help to reduce these incidents, with hospitality businesses having more direct access to police teams to report perpetrators.

As a sector, we take our responsibilities very seriously when it comes to looking after both our teams and our customers – their welfare is paramount. That’s why we are pleased to see these new measures coming into play, to help us protect our people even more and prioritise the safety of everyone in and around our venues.

This is particularly crucial for the night-time economy. Ensuring our teams and our customers feel safe not just within our well-managed premises, but on their entire journey to and from them, is key. The perception of safety is a powerful driver of footfall, and enhanced, visible policing on our streets is a critical component in building that public confidence.

This renewed focus on neighbourhood policing is also a welcome endorsement of proactive, partnership-based approaches. We hope that these new measures will augment the sterling work that many hospitality businesses, pubs in particular, have been operating as local business partnerships for many years. With the support of the Home Office, these schemes have long been at the forefront of sharing intelligence and pre-emptively tackling local issues, demonstrating the sector’s commitment to being a responsible and positive presence in the community.

In addition to this, from a local level, the boosted neighbourhood policing should provide for a strengthening of relationships between hospitality businesses and police teams, for the mutual benefit of keeping communities safe and enabling operators to focus on running their business.

With the hospitality sector being hit by costs from all angles and many businesses operating in survival mode, we hope these new measures and the support of increased policing helps to alleviate the pressures of crime, allowing the sector to focus its time, energy and attention on thriving and not just surviving.

The NationalWorld network ran the Silent Crime last autumn, highlighting how so-called minor crimes were going unreported or uninvestigated - despite the anguish they often cause to the victims. Shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and nuisance were all part of this.