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Shop Crime SoarsThu, October 12, 2006Source: British Retail ConsortiumThe British Retail Consortium's (BRC) 2006 Retail Crime Survey, published yesterday, is the most detailed and authoritative survey of UK shop crime.Shoplifting up 70 per cent since 2000. The survey, sponsored by ADT, shows crime cost retailers £2.1bn last year and £13.26bn since 2000. Over the same period the number of shoplifting incidents rose 70 per cent despite the industry investing more than £4.3bn in crime prevention. As the number of shoplifting incidents increases so too does the threat of violence against staff. Sixty per cent of violent incidents that happen in stores occur when staff attempt to detain criminals or protect property from theft. The BRC is calling on the Government to reject proposals that would see prison removed as a penalty for shoplifting, even for the worst repeat offenders. The BRC also believes the police should make retail crime a higher priority. Retail crime is not victimless. It has serious human, as well as financial, costs which cannot be ignored. The BRC believes the Government's failure to provide enough prison capacity should not be used as an excuse for treating retail crime as trivial. BRC Director General Kevin Hawkins said: "The huge increase in the number of shoplifting incidents is extremely worrying. It is having a very serious financial impact and is putting the safety and wellbeing of staff and customers at risk. "Soft penalties and poor enforcement are to blame. Retailers are spending millions of pounds on their own crime prevention as well as contributing £4.5 billion a year in business rates. They are entitled to the support of government and police but at the moment they are not getting it." The BRC report shows crime has a proportionately bigger impact on small and medium sized enterprise (SME) retailers than their larger counterparts. The BRC believes this is due in part to the lack of resources they have to allocate to security systems and security staff. 15% of SMEs have been forced to close their businesses for a period of time as a result of crime. 13% of SMEs have reported an increase in violent robbery. 1 in 5 SMEs believes it is either likely or very likely that they will lose staff as a result of crime, violence or antisocial behaviour. 13% of SMEs have had to let staff take time off as a result of a criminal incident..
"The thieves responsible for the majority of retail crime are well organised and efficient. On average they make off with £149 worth of goods each time they steal. "Shoplifting is an entry level crime, which leads to more dangerous criminal activities. Removing deterrents also increases the risk of violence against shop staff. There must be prison for those who repeatedly and persistently break the law and treatment for those responsible for drug related offences." John Smith, ADT's Vice President Retail Sales, Europe Middle East & Africa, said: "Customer and staff theft account for 79 per cent of total losses from crime and retailers cannot afford to become complacent. Investment in crime prevention is paying dividends, but retailers still face pressure to implement ever more innovative ways of tackling the issue to ensure that, whatever size they are, they can meet the challenge head on and protect staff and revenue." More headline figures include: Total losses from shoplifting in 2005 - £767m Total cost of crime since 2000 – £13.39bn Average cost per shoplifting incident - £149 |