Nottingham retailers have reacted to a report that labels the city as the UK's crime capital by saying more should be done to punish criminals.
The report, by think tank Reform, ranked urban areas with populations of more than 100,000 using police data on burglary, murder, rape, robbery, car and gun crime. It states that Nottingham, with 115.5 crimes per 1,000 population, had close to four times the level of crime as the 'safest' town in the rankings, Southend, which recorded 30.9 crimes per 1,000.
Tony Wallis owns five stores in the Nottingham area. He believes more has to be done to tackle crime in the city and said: "The biggest problem is that no one takes it seriously. We've had four till snatches, lost thousands of pounds to theft in the past year and I've had to spend £24,000 on CCTV. The police have got too much to do and are fighting an uphill battle. Community and neighbourhood wardens should be scrapped and they should spend the money on more good officers."
Fellow retailer Peter Davis owns a post office and store in nearby Kinoulton. He added: "I always feel safe and don't see Nottingham as any different to any other big city. I think there is a wider issue that when criminals are caught they should be dealt with properly, rather than just getting a slap on the wrist."
The report, by think tank Reform, ranked urban areas with populations of more than 100,000 using police data on burglary, murder, rape, robbery, car and gun crime. It states that Nottingham, with 115.5 crimes per 1,000 population, had close to four times the level of crime as the 'safest' town in the rankings, Southend, which recorded 30.9 crimes per 1,000.
Tony Wallis owns five stores in the Nottingham area. He believes more has to be done to tackle crime in the city and said: "The biggest problem is that no one takes it seriously. We've had four till snatches, lost thousands of pounds to theft in the past year and I've had to spend £24,000 on CCTV. The police have got too much to do and are fighting an uphill battle. Community and neighbourhood wardens should be scrapped and they should spend the money on more good officers."
Fellow retailer Peter Davis owns a post office and store in nearby Kinoulton. He added: "I always feel safe and don't see Nottingham as any different to any other big city. I think there is a wider issue that when criminals are caught they should be dealt with properly, rather than just getting a slap on the wrist."
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