A CITY has been recognised for its safe shopping facilities by a Home Office award.

The Safer Shopping Award is presented to organisations which work together to cut retail crime and make shopping environments safer for the public and staff.

Sunderland Shopwatch Partnership involves Northumbria Police, retailers, Sunderland City Centre Management, and Sunderland City Council in working to achieve these aims.

Yesterday, Northumbria Police Chief Constable Crispian Strachan and Councillor Peter Gibson, Mayor of Sunderland, jointly received a Safer Shopping Award in recognition of the partnership's achievements.

Mr Strachan said: "This is a good example of the benefits that a partnership approach can bring to the community as a whole.

"By working together to cut retail crime and catch offenders, we can make our cities safer for everyone."

The partnership was set up in 1997, and has 190 members. It helps to identify shop thieves using security cameras and a retail radio link.

It also has links with the North-East Retail Crime Partnership, which provides the sharing of information between members stores across the region.

Last year, officers from Sunderland City area command's retail crime unit made 558 arrests for shop theft and 150 for other matters, including robbery, deception and public order offences.

More than 60 people convicted of theft or other retail-related crime have been served with exclusion notices, banning them from entering shops.

David Kay, chairman of the partnership, said: "Retail crime is a nationwide problem and affects everyone.

"Research shows that every household in the UK spends £90 each year bearing the cost of it. We aim to reverse this unacceptable cost."