Representatives from the retail sector have told the Cross Party Group on Small Shops in Wales of the serious human and financial cost of crimes committed against retailers and the people working in stores.
The meeting of the CPG on Small Shops heard from representatives from the Association of Convenience Stores, the Welsh Retail Consortium, the Shopworkers Union USDAW and Gwent Police on the impact of shop theft, violence and abuse on the retail sector, as well as ways that the police and justice system can do more to tackle and prevent retail crime.
Figures from ACS’ 2018 Crime Report show that on average, every store in the UK convenience sector loses an average of £1,739 as a result of shop theft alone, with the majority of theft being driven by criminals either looking to fund a drug or alcohol addiction or operating as part of an organised gang.
The Home Office Crime Victimisation Survey also shows that the number of assaults and threats committed against the wholesale and retail sector has risen significantly over the last year, from 524 incidents to 1,433 incidents per 1,000 premises.
Janet Finch Saunders AM, chair of the CPG on small shops, said: “Retailers and their staff should not have to be subjected to abuse and violence just for doing their job and enforcing the law. Crimes against the retail sector are costly and damaging and must be taken seriously by police forces.”
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: "There are almost 3,000 convenience stores in Wales, providing essential services and acting as community hubs for local people. Crimes committed against the people running and working in stores must be dealt with properly, and we encourage the Police and Crime Commissioners for North Wales, South Wales, and Dyfed-Powys to join Gwent in signing up to our pledge on retail crime."
Sara Jones, head of policy at the Welsh Retail Consortium said: "Retail directly employs over 130,000 people in Wales and thousands more indirectly. The industry is already faces its own challenges, with margins shrinking, and against that backdrop the pressures that retail crime exerts are having a stronger impact. Attacks on retail workers are intolerable, and our members are completely clear that keeping their staff safe and providing an environment in which they can work free of fear from threats and violence, is their first priority.”
As part of its work on keeping retail crime high on the agenda of authorities, ACS is urging retailers in England and Wales to write to their Police and Crime Commissioners, highlighting the problems that crime cause in their store and calling on them to pledge to ensure that police forces take shop theft and abuse of staff seriously.
The pledges that PCCs are being asked to sign up to include:
- confronting reoffending, particularly prolific reoffenders with drug dependencies and organised criminal gangs
- working to standards on what a ‘good response’ to shop theft looks like, supporting retailer led crime prevention, developing and sharing best practice with retailers, and encouraging them to report shop theft in line with these standards
- always responding promptly to shop theft where violence is involved or where a suspect is detained
A template letter for retailers concerned about the impact of theft and abuse on their business to send to their local PCC, asking them to sign up to the pledge, is available here.
