“ShopKind and Shop Swansea” this Christmas say’s Swansea West MP
Torsten brought community leaders together to address the problem
Torsten Bell has thrown his weight behind two campaigns aiming to make Swansea a great place to shop this Xmas, hosting a roundtable with Swansea businesses, South Wales Police and Council Leaders.
Over the past year, real progress has been made reducing anti-social behaviour and retail crime in the city centre. South Wales Police data shows that reported incidents of shop theft fell by 14.8% between April and December 2025 while successful prosecutions have risen to 44.8 % (compared to 38.9% for the same period in 2024). For the last two months, the successful prosecution rate is at 56.7%, some of the best in the South Wales Police area. [1]
To build on this through the Christmas period, a Winter of Action campaign will again see a more visible police presence in the run up to Christmas providing reassurance to both shoppers and shop workers. This is supported by UK Government investing in 3,000 more police officers and PCSOs across the country this year.
Torsten is also writing to national retailers, encouraging them to more swiftly share CCTV footage with local police, helping Swansea maintain successful shop theft prosecution rates.
But shops need to be great places to work as well as to visit, so Torsten Bell MP has also endorsed the ShopKind retail campaign, which encourages everyone to acknowledges the important role of retail workers to our communities and local economy. Earlier this month he visited shops in the city centre including the Quadrant Shopping Centre, as well as local convenience stores at Penlan and Townhill, to discuss the campaign.
Mr Bell said: “Christmas is a great time of year to experience our City Centre, which is improving as new developments open and more visible policing delivers results. That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to shop in Swansea, but also to ShopKind. retail workers deserve all of our support at the busy festive period.”
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “We welcome Torsten Bell’s focus on supporting local shops, especially at this time of year when we know that levels of anti-social behaviour and abuse against retailers and their staff are at their peak. There is real progress being made in areas like Swansea to build positive relationships between the police and retailers, and to remind customers about the essential role that colleagues in stores play through the Shopkind campaign.”
Leader of Swansea Council Cllr Rob Stewart said: “Working with partners in the police and BID, we’ve been determined to make Swansea city centre a safe place for shoppers and visitors and the recent crime figures shows that real progress is being made.
“This is having a positive impact on investment where we have seen more great brands and retailers decide to open new stores recently.
“There’s always more to do, and while outdated perceptions remain, the reality is far it’s clear Swansea city centre is safer, and a place where shop theft and anti social behaviour won’t be tolerated”
Inspector Andrew Hedley (Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, Swansea City Centre) said: “South Wales Police are committed to continuing our partnership with Swansea BID and other partners to keep our city centre safe and resilient against crime and anti-social behaviour. The reduction in retail crime along with the increase in bringing offenders to justice, shows our commitment in this area of the business. We will continue to target those prolific offenders who are intent on committing crime within the City whilst working with Businesses to prevent these occurrences in the first instance”
Andrew Douglas from Swansea BID said: “Swansea BID was pleased to welcome Torston Bell to Swansea as part of the national campaign to support local shops and convenience stores. His visit was a valuable opportunity to showcase the strong partnership between Swansea BID, South Wales Police, Swansea Against Business Crime, and other stakeholders to help prevent retail crime in Swansea and keep our businesses safe.”
Steve Gallagher from the Swansea Against Business Crime Partnership said: “Swansea Against Business Crime (SABC) partnership as an accredited body is pleased to support stakeholders in their day-to-day challenges with crime and anti-social behaviour. It is not acceptable to put shop workers and visitors to the City in fear for their safety. It is clear the hard work of all has seen a change in behaviour of those intent in criminal behaviour and speaking to both visitors and retail staff the city is a pleasant place to visit. The challenge is to grow the city as a venue to visit to the benefit of all.”
Notes to Editors
[1] Data from South Wales Police