As official figures revealed shoplifting in the UK hit a record high this year, retailers must not suffer in silence and should report the crime to police.
The figures from the Crime Survey for England & Wales make for terrifying reading, revealing that retail theft continues to increase, and highlighting how the convenience channel is fast approaching crisis point. More than 6.2 million shoplifting incidents were recorded by convenience stores in the past year, which cost retailers more than £2.2bn according to the Association of Convenience Stores.
While some may view shoplifting as a victimless crime, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Not only does retail theft often include violence and abuse towards retail staff, but family-run retail businesses are already under incredible pressure to meet rising costs, and they cannot continue to absorb store losses.
Improved police processes
I am writing this now as my local police force, West Midlands Police, has just reported a 60% increase in suspected shop theft arrests over the past two years. Changes to its policing model and call handling systems meant emergency 999 calls are now being answered in an average of two seconds, while 101 calls had an average wait time of 20 seconds.
The force also reported a staggering 235% increase in the number of offenders being charged, cautioned or given out-of-court resolutions in the same time period.
West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford said: “We take shop theft and retail crime seriously, and the improvements we’ve made to how we respond are making a real difference.
“With faster call handling, more officers investigating local crime, dedicated prevention work with our key reoffenders and stronger outcomes for victims, we’re now starting to see real impact. We know there is more to do and we are committed to tackling this crime and helping to keep shopworkers safe.”
As the success of this approach is reaping results in the West Midlands, I want to see this rolled out across the UK. Encouraging convenience retailers to report every instance of retail crime, no matter how small, is a great starting point.
We know retailers won’t report crime as they lack faith that it will be investigated. However, these results from West Midlands Police show what can be achieved with a dedicated focus.
We have to act together to take action and drive change in order to safeguard convenience stores now and in the future.
Jason Wouhra, CEO of Lioncroft Wholesale and chair of Unitas
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