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Crime Reaches New Heights
Listed under: News
Published: Thursday, January 14, 2010
The number of thefts from retail outlets rose by a third last year, seeing an incident occur nearly every minute, with instances of violence and staff abuse more than doubling within the same period, according to a new report from retail specialists, the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The report, which reveals that two thirds of retail crimes are currently left unreported, suggest the actual number of criminal offences could have topped a million over the past year, costing UK retailers £1.1 billion between 2008/9 alone – up ten percent on the year before.
Customer theft accounted for the largest proportion of retail crime, amounting to 94% of all incidents reported last year. Abuse was also on the rise, with at least 22,000 retail employees experiencing some form of physical or verbal attack over the past 12 months. Fraud and burgulary were also major causes for concern, accounting for 35% and nine percent of incidents respectively.
Commenting on the findings, Stephen Robertson, director general at the BRC, says, “The increase in retail crime during the recession can't be justified as a move from ‘greed' to ‘need'. Whatever the motivation, shoplifting is never victimless or acceptable. The cash costs are met by honest customers who end up paying more and the human costs by shop staff who intervene.
"It's shocking that a shop theft happens almost every minute, 24 hours a day. We need tougher sentencing to deter thieves and more consistent use of fixed penalty notices between police forces. Too many fines for shoplifting remain unpaid. We need more effective enforcement so they aren't devalued as a deterrent.”
He continues, "The police and criminal justice system must take retail theft more seriously. There's been some progress but, with a fifth of retailers saying they don't report crime because they have no confidence in the police and two thirds of shop thefts going unreported, not enough."
"The doubling in violence and abuse against retail staff is the biggest concern of all. It should never be regarded as ‘part of the job'. Punishments must be strong enough to deter and the police should measure workplace violence when they assess business crime in the community and determine local policing priorities," he concludes.
The report, which reveals that two thirds of retail crimes are currently left unreported, suggest the actual number of criminal offences could have topped a million over the past year, costing UK retailers £1.1 billion between 2008/9 alone – up ten percent on the year before.
Customer theft accounted for the largest proportion of retail crime, amounting to 94% of all incidents reported last year. Abuse was also on the rise, with at least 22,000 retail employees experiencing some form of physical or verbal attack over the past 12 months. Fraud and burgulary were also major causes for concern, accounting for 35% and nine percent of incidents respectively.
Commenting on the findings, Stephen Robertson, director general at the BRC, says, “The increase in retail crime during the recession can't be justified as a move from ‘greed' to ‘need'. Whatever the motivation, shoplifting is never victimless or acceptable. The cash costs are met by honest customers who end up paying more and the human costs by shop staff who intervene.
"It's shocking that a shop theft happens almost every minute, 24 hours a day. We need tougher sentencing to deter thieves and more consistent use of fixed penalty notices between police forces. Too many fines for shoplifting remain unpaid. We need more effective enforcement so they aren't devalued as a deterrent.”
He continues, "The police and criminal justice system must take retail theft more seriously. There's been some progress but, with a fifth of retailers saying they don't report crime because they have no confidence in the police and two thirds of shop thefts going unreported, not enough."
"The doubling in violence and abuse against retail staff is the biggest concern of all. It should never be regarded as ‘part of the job'. Punishments must be strong enough to deter and the police should measure workplace violence when they assess business crime in the community and determine local policing priorities," he concludes.
