Fakery will help the Co-op defeat criminals

The Co-op is extending its trial of anti-theft ‘dummy display packaging’ for targeted products on its shelves to deter rising levels of crime driven by prolific and persistent offenders and local organised crime gangs.

The aim of the move is to help curb bulk-shoplifting, described as ‘looting’ in the worst instances.

The packaging will be used across higher value products on its shelves frequently targeted by criminals for re-sale, in stores where there's a known, local issue. Products to be included are: coffee; washing powder and laundry gel, with shoppers simply taking the dummy display case to the shop's till where it will be swapped for the actual product. The Co-op has previously used the anti-theft packaging in a limited number of stores, and it expects it to 'continue to become a more familiar feature in retailing'.

Last month, July, the Co-op revealed it had witnessed record levels of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour with nearly 1,000 incidents every day in the six months to June (2023) that's a 35% Year on year increase. Industry reports reveal almost two-thirds (63%) of crime is driven by repeat and prolific offenders, with drug or alcohol addiction issues and local organised criminal gangs, among the main drivers of offending.

Co-op warned this level of out-of-control crime isn't sustainable and could even see some communities become a no-go area for local stores with many Police forces refusing to prioritise retail crime. A freedom of information (FOI) request revealed on average, 71% of serious retail crime aren't responded to by Police, and the Co-op is calling on all police forces and crime commissioners to target prolific offenders and local organised crime gangs to reverse the existing environment where they operate with apparent impunity and without fear of being caught or charged.

Kate Graham, Co-op's Director of Operations, said: “Crime in many communities is growing and it's known repeat and prolific offenders and local organised crime gangs are driving serious incidents of brazen and violent theft in stores."

Kate went on to explain: "It's an ongoing challenge for all retailers, and often a flashpoint for attacks and abuse towards our colleagues. Co-op continues to invest significantly in keeping colleagues and stores safe. This includes extending use of dummy display cases to deter the incidents of ‘bulk-shoplifting’ or, ‘looting’, as it's described, where criminals sweep products off shelves for re-sale.

"While we are doing all we can, we need the police to play their part as all too often, Forces fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams and criminals operate in communities without any fear of consequences.”

The Co-op has invested in excess of £200M in recent years in colleague and community safety initiatives to counter criminal behaviour, per store this equates to four times the average convenience sector spend on security and safety measures.

With safety a key priority, the Co-op uses a wide range of  measures to deter criminal behaviour. This includes: interactive and remote monitored CCTV; body-worn cameras, which can transmit real time audio and visual footage to its security operations centre at the touch of a button; communication headsets for frontline colleagues; covert and non-covert guarding; Smartwater and GPS tracked security cases, plus anti-theft ‘dummy display cases’ which Co-op believes will continue to become a more familiar feature in retailing.