ACS Crime Report reveals retail theft index at “all time high”
Our founder, Noel Verbruggen comments on Retail Risk News article…
Association of Convenience Stores calls on police forces to take crime seriously...
The ACS Crime Report Crime Report 2023. estimates that there were over 1.1M incidents of theft reported last year and that the theft index* has reached new record levels. The record was previously broken last quarter after standing for over 10 years.
The most commonly stolen items as reported by retailers are meat, alcohol and confectionery – typically high-value items that can then be sold on by those with a drug or alcohol addiction, or part of wider organised crime groups.
ACS has called on police forces and the Government to do more to take retail crime seriously and support local businesses. The five-point plan includes:
Introduce a ‘Most Wanted’ list of shop thieves in each police force area, where prolific offenders can be banned from retail areas or referred to rehabilitation programmes.
Review the impact of new legislation that makes attacking a public facing worker (including shop staff) an aggravated offence.
Invest in rehabilitation programmes for offenders to break the cycle of offending and ineffective punishment.
Encourage local forces to use the tools available to them to deal with anti-social behaviour, such as the Community Trigger and Community Remedy powers.
The Treasury should incentivise investment in crime prevention measures.
Additional key findings from the Crime Report include:
• 63% of shop theft is committed by repeat offenders.
• 79% of retailers believe that the cost-of-living crisis has led to an increase in theft.
• 87% of colleagues working in convenience stores have experienced verbal abuse over the last year.
• Retailers estimate that just 16% of crimes against their business are reported to the police.
• £228M was invested by convenience retailers in crime prevention measures over the last year.
Noel Verbruggen, Founder of independent loss prevention company Intrepid Security, commented:
“Unfortunately, our experience through our large retail customers is showing the same trends, with theft increasing as people struggle with the cost of living crisis. The number of enquiries for new technology to protect stock, especial high risk items, is a useful barometer of how much pain is being felt on the high street. So, it is bittersweet for me to say that we are seeing more enquiries from retailers, especially around protecting high risk products, than ever before.”
For more information on the ACS Crime Report contact Edward Woodall, Government Relations Director, Association of Convenience Stores.
““It is bittersweet for me to say that we are seeing more enquiries from retailers, especially around protecting high risk products, than ever before.””