Co-op has almost doubled the number of retail crime cases solved across 20 stores in Devon and Cornwall after trialling a new crime reporting tool.
The system, called SentrySIS, enables stronger intelligence sharing. It aims to track repeat offenders by connecting offences committed by the same individual and build stronger cases against them.
Store colleagues upload incident details, CCTV, photos and impact statements, enabling police to record and allocate the crime in as little 30 minutes – a process that could take police up to seven days, Co-op added.
It also removes the need for officers to approach the retailer for evidence, resulting in the average time taken for investigations to be completed being slashed by more than a third to 35 days.
It aims to brings closer collaboration with police both at a local and central level, helping to drive stronger crime-solving outcomes, as new data revealed that 90% of identified shop theft offenders are repeat offenders, according to Devon & Cornwall Police.
The force said just 50 individuals were responsible for around a quarter of all shop theft offences across the two counties, often with more than 100 known offences each.
Through Co-op’s partnership with Devon & Cornwall Police, which collaboratively use SentrySIS, the force revealed Co-op’s crimes reported through the platform had achieved a solve rate of almost 60%.
The force’s average solve rate for shop theft reported through traditional channels stands at 30.6%.
Co-op said it was now rolling out the technology across the rest of its 100 stores in Devon and Cornwall, and was in discussions with other police forces as it sought to deploy SentrySIS in more stores across the country, including Hampshire, where it has almost 50 stores.
It comes as Co-op’s crime levels nationally continue to fall, with the retailer expecting 2026 to be the lowest year of crime since the pandemic.
Overall retail crime at Co-op is down almost a fifth year on year, with incidents of antisocial behaviour and verbal abuse reducing by 35%, as well as a double-digit drop in physical assaults.
However, Co-op said it remained “cautiously optimistic” as retail crime levels were still double those seen pre-pandemic after crime surged.
The convenience retailer, which has long campaigned against organised crime, said continued co-operation among retailers, police and government was needed to bring about meaningful, sustained and lasting change to tackling retail crime and its underlying causes.
“The reduction in retail crime at Co-op is very welcome, but these are green shoots with crime levels remaining higher than before the pandemic,” said Co-op campaigns, public affairs and policy director Paul Gerrard.
“The success of this initiative demonstrates the benefits that we know can be realised when retailers and police work together. We have seen that offenders can be identified and investigations can progress much faster and, importantly for everyone, outcomes improve significantly.
“The fact that such a high proportion of crimes are carried out by repeat and prolific offenders highlights why early intervention is so important – every successful investigation has the potential to prevent many future offences from blighting our high streets and local communities.”
Chris Chaloner, business crime sergeant for Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “The results from this pilot have been extremely impressive. The evidence provided through the platform is available to officers immediately, allowing investigations to progress much more quickly. Crucially, this approach helps us to link crimes and identify and target those prolific offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail crime.
“We know that a relatively small number of individuals commit a large volume of offences. By working closely with retailers, building effective partnership and receiving high-quality evidence we can take earlier action, secure more charges and achieve better outcomes for our high streets and communities.”
Policing minister Sarah Jones added: “Collaboration between the retail industry, police and government is exactly what I want to see as chair of the Retail Crime Forum. This pilot is a great example of what can be achieved when working together to tackle crime.
“Shop theft is falling across the country, and more criminals are being charged. This is good progress, but we will go further, restoring neighbourhood policing, with thousands more officers already in our communities.
“We are also changing the law to make it clearer that there will be consequences for shop theft of any value and bringing in a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.”
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