Businesses To Combat Bensalem Retail Crime

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —With retail thefts rising by 35 percent over the past two years, Bensalem Police wanted to arm businesses with tools to combat the crime.

Township law enforcement and officials held a "Bensalem Secure" summit last week to launch its business theft reduction initiative.

Public Safety Director William McVey said the three essentials of the program are “Partnerships, Prevention, and Prosecution” to reduce the rate of retail theft.

The summit addressed retail theft trends, case studies, best practices, legal guidance, and technological capabilities.

Those attending the summit were Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, McVey, Robert Norkus (EDC), Detective Shawn Smith, Detective Sergeant Glenn Vandegrift, Chris Reese (Chief of Prosecution Bucks County DA’s Office), state Sen. Frank Farry, and state Rep. KC Tomlinson.

The summit was held in conjunction with the Bensalem Economic Development Committee.

As part of this initiative, the Bensalem EDC has funded signs for all businesses to display as part of our deterrence efforts and established an anonymous hotline to report employee theft.

"This type of community support, in coordination with our proactive policing efforts, will lead to a safer, more secure business environment in Bensalem," McVey said.

McVey said that some retailers have taken away the rights of employees to report such crimes.

"Some stores worry about the liability of stopping people," he said. "As a law-abiding citizen, that bothers me."