‘We don’t want to accept knife crime, but we want to be prepared for it’-Julia Lopez MP hosts retailers meeting in Harold Hill.

‘Clear Hold Build has reduced crime in Harold Hill by 50%’-Inspector Routley

The Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez, yesterday Thursday 28 March, hosted a special meeting with managers from major retail outlets at the Hilldene shopping centre, local police officers, community champions and anti knife crime campaigners.

Following Mrs Lopez’s recent walkabout of the area in February, where she spoke with retail workers to hear of the problems they have endured due to prolific shoplifters, the MP organised a follow up meeting.

Local shop workers had mentioned to Mrs Lopez that they had concerns over their senior management and their support in tackling the endless shoplifting the area has endured.

As a result, a meeting was organised yesterday with management from Iceland, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Superdrug and Boots, alongside Community Champions Jan Sargent who set up Shop Watch in 2017 and Simon Ford who helps run this group. Also present was bereaved mother Sue Hedges from the Ricky Hayden Memorial who has been donating bleed kits to help stop catastrophic bleeding, alongside local police officers including Inspector Routley who is leading on the Clear Hold Build initiative in the area.

Mrs Lopez chaired the meeting and chatted with each major store member to hear how they were tackling problems in their Hilldene store. It was felt by local shop workers that their management were not supporting them.

Each store member spoke out their individual way of handling theft. Jan Sargent and Simon Ford who work tirelessly with the local shops stressed that although Hilldene shopping centre in size is very small, it actually contains numerous major retail outlets and how hard staff there actually work each day, and how well they have done to keep going after months of abuse.

Inspector Routley informed participants of the meeting that since the Clear Hold Build initiative was launched, crime has been cut by 50% and that staff have noticed a remarkable difference in the local area. He spoke about how prolific thieves were targeted and their removal immediately made a difference in the area. He also informed listeners that these offenders were now receiving the appropriate care required to stop them reoffending and orders had been put into place to ban these thieves from returning to the Hilldene area.

The Hornchurch and Upminster MP also urged shop managers to reach out to Sue from the Ricky Hayden Memorial to purchase Daniel Baird bleed kits, stating: “We do not want to accept knife crime, but we must be prepared for it.” She thanked Sue for her incredible anti knife crime campaigning.

The meeting gave people the opportunity to address many concerns that had risen in the area and also highlighted that now, thanks to Clear Hold Build and Inspector Routhley and his team of dedicated officers, a huge difference can be seen in the area.

This was a very positive meeting hosted by Mrs Lopez.

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