Criminal gangs with an apparent ‘freedom to loot’ are driving spiralling store crime and out of control levels of crime could deprive communities of their local stores, the Co-op warns.
Retail crime surges to absolutely record levels with repeat offenders and criminal gangs operating exempt from consequences, new data released by Co-op reveals yesterday on Thursday, 27 July.
The Co-op has recorded the highest ever levels of retail crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour with almost 1,000 incidents every day in the six months to June (2023), a 35% YOY increase.
Unfortunately many Police forces are refusing to prioritise retail crime with FOI revealing average 71% of serious retail crime not responded to by the Police.
The Co-op argues that criminals have an apparent ‘freedom to loot’ with rampant levels of out-of-control crime predominantly committed by repeat and prolific offenders, with drug or alcohol addictions and, local organised crime gangs, among the main drivers of offending.
The Co-op has issued calls for "urgent changes" in Police response and for all Police Forces to target repeat and prolific offenders to reverse the existing environment in many cities where crime gangs operate, exempt from any consequences.
Retail crime surges to record levels with repeat offenders and criminal gangs operating exempt from consequences, new data released by Co-op reveals.
Co-op stores have seen crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour surge upwards by 35% year-on-year, with in excess of 175,000 incidents recorded in the first six months of this year. That's nearly 1,000 incidents each and every day.
With one inner city London store ‘looted’ three times in a just one single day, Co-op warns this level of out-of-control crime is unsustainable and could even see some communities become no-go areas for local stores.
The Co-op calls 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.
Reports show nearly two-thirds (63%) of crime is driven by repeat and prolific offenders, with drug or alcohol addictions and, local organised crime gangs, among the main drivers of offending.
But worryingly a Freedom of Information request by Co-op has highlighted that Police forces, worryingly, failed to respond in 71% of serious retail crimes reported. With some, according to their own data, not responding to nine in ten serious incidents reported.
With crime often the flashpoint for attacks, assault, abuse and anti-social behaviour, Co-op rrevealed that front-line store workers have seen physical assaults increase year-on-year by almost one-third (30%) and, anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse rising by a fifth (20%).
Said Matt Hood, who is the Co-op Food MD: “We know retail crime is driven by repeat and prolific offenders and also organised crime gangs.
"It's a difficult ongoing challenge for all retailers, and in the worst instances can even be described as ‘looting’.
"I've seen some really, truly horrific incidents of brazen and violent theft in our stores, where my store colleagues felt 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. All too often, Police forces simply fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams, and criminals are operating in communities without any fear of consequences.”
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) CEO James Lowman, said: “Our members are at the sharp end, seeing crime in their communities steadily worsening. Shop theft is rising because repeat offenders and organised crime gangs 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 must have to face up to theft, violence and anti-social behaviour in and around local shops. We believe that 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's General Secretary says: “Evidence is mounting that retail crime is increasing, 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's often linked to organised criminal 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 really 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.”
Phillip Davies, who is the Conservative MP for Shipley and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Customer Service, added: “This patchy record of Police forces uncovered by the Co-op is simply not good enough.
"Our frontline workers deserve far, far better. It's no good having stricter laws in place to punish offenders if the Police aren't properly investigating these crimes and ensure perpetrators are punished. Those Police forces with the worst records must find out what those with the best record what they are doing and ensure they bring themselves up to the same standards.”
Where clear co-operation around this issue exists it's really seen to be making a difference. The Co-op works closely with a number of forces including Nottinghamshire who have been effective in tackling persistent and prolific offenders.
But the issues run deeper than policing alone. For example in Nottinghamshire, this year, 17 prolific offenders were removed from the streets, with a combined 5.6 years of custodial sentences, and a further 13 repeat offenders given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) or rehabilitation orders.
Says Police Inspector Oliver Vale of Nottinghamshire Police: “The collaborative work that's taken place between Nottinghamshire Police and our partners in Co-Op, Mitie and NBCS has provided us with a fantastic chance to identify those not only committing the most harm in our retail communities but to our communities as a whole.
"Retail crime is something we recognise within Nottinghamshire Police as being an issue that must be proactively tackled but we simply can't do this alone and the information sharing model Op Synergy has developed has allowed for us to collaboratively secure significant convictions and prohibitive orders on some of our most prolific retail offenders by working closely with the Co-op.”
The Co-op has invested over £200M in recent years in colleague and community safety to counter criminal behaviour. Per store this equates to four times the average sector spend on security and safety measures.
Co-op uses a wide range of targeted measures to deter criminal behaviour. Such as: interactive and remote monitored CCTV; body-worn cameras; communication headsets for frontline colleagues; covert and non-covert guarding and security; Smartwater; GPS tracked security cases and, ‘dummy’ packaging on shelves, which Co-op believes will become a more prevalent and familiar sight in retailing.
The convenience retailer also successfully campaigned for stricter sentencing in law for violent incident against retail workers viat its Safer Colleagues, Safer Communities campaign - with the new law.
That's Food and Drink is concerned that, if convenience store chains and independently owned convenience stores are forced to shut down or severely curtail opening hours many vulnerable people within the locality of the shop will have nowhere to buy food and vegetables, etc, without having to make long journeys to distant supermarkets.
Image used courtesy of Francis MacDonald from Pixabay)
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