LONDON — U.K. police are advising retailers to consider hiring extra security guards in the event of a no-deal Brexit, amid fears that public concern about potential shortages of food and other goods could lead to crowd control issues at shops.

Contingency planners are concerned supermarkets and other retailers may have to deal with a rush of customers if fears of shortages leads to panic-buying. However, in a statement, a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said they have no information to suggest that looting is a likely outcome of a no-deal Brexit.

“In line with similar advice given at a national level to the retail industry, we are suggesting to retailers that they may wish to consider planning for additional security in the event that concerns about shortages of goods leads to a significant increase in customers,” a Met spokesperson said.

“We are having these conversations in order to minimize the demands on policing from any resulting large crowds or queues at shops and as part of our regular civil contingency engagement with businesses and partners.”

Shortages caused by potential disruption at ports are one of the main concerns for contingency planners preparing for the prospect of the U.K. leaving the EU without a deal on March 29.

With MPs widely expected to vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal on Tuesday, a no-deal Brexit remains the default outcome. While a majority of MPs will try to prevent such a scenario, it is not yet clear how this will be achieved and the government, public services and businesses continue to plan for all outcomes.

Paul Blomfield, shadow Brexit minister for the opposition Labour Party, which opposes a no-deal outcome, said: “Every day brings another example of why the government should rule out a no-deal Brexit once and for all."

“High street retailers are already struggling. The idea that they should now have to consider hiring extra security staff because of the government’s failings is simply untenable.”

The food and drink, and retail industries have warned of pressure on supply chains if new checks at EU or U.K. ports lead to long delays for goods crossing the Channel to the U.K.

Many civil service staff have been diverted from their usual roles to help manage preparations for a potential no-deal outcome.

While the police advice does not pre-judge whether there will be shortages, it reflects an acknowledgement that public anxiety about such an outcome could lead to increased demand, whether supply problems materialize or not.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick warned late last year that a no-deal exit would cause problems for the police, particularly around security cooperation with the EU and access to law enforcement databases.

The advice to shops to seek private security assistance “to minimize the demands on policing” suggests that police forces, whose funding and officer counts have been cut considerably in recent years, are seeking to avoid committing officers to low-level public order events at a time when resources may be over-stretched.

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs Council said that police “do not expect to be involved in responding to any food shortages.”

However, the spokesman added: “Supermarkets have their own security and procedures but police forces will assess any requests for assistance, and continue working with communities through Local Resilience Forums. We are considering scenarios provided by government to inform our planning.”

The Home Office said that such plans are an operational matter for the police, but that the government is working with forces nationally via the National Police Coordinating Centre in contingency planning for all eventualities stemming from Brexit.

This week the government moved into a new phase of the public information effort to prepare citizens and business for Brexit, with a national radio advert and social media campaign launched on Tuesday.

Many civil service staff have been diverted from their usual roles to help manage preparations for a potential no-deal outcome, government officials said, and Whitehall has now activated all its no-deal contingency planning.

However, the British Retail Consortium, which represents 5,000 retail businesses, said it has not yet heard from any of its members regarding no-deal security advice they had received.

If the deal does not get MPs’ backing, the next steps remain unknown, with Labour pushing for a general election and a renegotiation, other MPs seeking a compromise alternative deal, and many Brexiteer MPs pushing May to press ahead with a no-deal exit.

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