Retail crime soars by 35% to record levels, Co-op warns

Retail crime has soared to “record” levels, with repeat offenders and criminal gangs operating with little consequences, the Co-op Group has warned. The retailer said it has seen crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour surge 35% year-on-year, with more than 175,000 incidents recorded in the first six months of this year, equating to almost 1,000 incidents every day. The group warned that this level of “out-of-control” crime is unsustainable and could see some communities become “no-go areas” for local stores. In light of this, it has called on all police forces and crime commissioners to target prolific offenders and local organised criminal gangs to “reverse the existing environment in many cities where they operate without fear of being caught or charged”. While findings from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) revealed that 63% of crime is driven by repeat and prolific offenders and local organised criminal gangs, a Freedom of Information request by Co-op found that police failed to respond in 71% of serious retail crimes reported. Co-op also revealed that front-line store workers had seen physical assaults increase year-on-year by almost one-third (30%), with anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse rising by a fifth (20%). Matt Hood, Co-op Food managing director, said: “We know retail crime is driven by repeat and prolific offenders and, organised criminal gangs. It is an ongoing challenge for all retailers, and in the worst instances can even be described as ‘looting’. I have seen some horrific incidents of brazen and violent theft in our stores, where my store colleagues feel scared and threatened. “I see first-hand how this criminal behaviour also erodes the very fabric of our communities - it’s hard to over-emphasise how important urgent change is. Co-op has invested significantly in keeping colleagues and stores safe, but we need the police to play their part. Too often, Forces fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams, and criminals are operating in communities without any fear of consequences.” The CEO of Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), James Lowman, added: “Our members are at the sharp end, seeing crime in their communities get steadily worse. Shop theft is rising because repeat offenders and organised criminals are targeting local shops to steal goods to resell. “This organised criminal activity exploits vulnerable people by getting them to steal to order in exchange for their next fix, funds the illegal drug trade, and harms businesses that provide essential services to communities. The police have to face up to theft, violence and anti-social behaviour in and around local shops. Cracking down on the criminals who account for the majority of this crime against our members would be the most effective way to make our communities safer.” Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said: “Evidence is mounting that retail crime is on the increase, added to this Co-op report is a 24% uplift in official police recorded incidents of shoplifting. This is very concerning for our members in retail, because shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers and, as the Co-op rightly says, it is often linked to organised crime gangs. “Having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can cause issues beyond the theft itself like anxiety, fear and in some cases physical harm to retail workers. There must be better coordination to ensure that government, retail employers, police and the courts work together to help protect shopworkers, giving them the respect they deserve.”