APCC retail crime lead wants ‘prolific shoplifters monitored with electronic tags’

Introducing the report, the APCC’s national business and retail crime lead and PCC for Sussex Katy Bourne, said: “With current levels of retail crime on high streets rising and retail staff facing the consequences of shoplifters’ brazen behaviour, this new ‘In Focus’ report demonstrates how Police and Crime Commissioners are approaching the issue and holding their forces to account for their work to respond to and investigate retail crime, as set out within the government’s Retail Crime Action Plan.

“The British Retail Consortium’s recent crime survey showed a 50% increase in the levels of retail violence and abuse – to 1,300 incidents a day – with the cost of theft to retailers rising to £1.8bn (from £953m the previous year).

“It is now, more than ever, that policing needs to work effectively with businesses to tackle this deluge of shop thefts, assaults, and criminality.

“Nationally, all police forces have now signed up to the Retail Crime Action Plan, which clearly sets out how officers should response to shoplifting. PCCs up and down the country can now utilise the Action Plan to hold our forces to account for how they respond and investigate retail crime.”

“There is still more work to do to prevent the crimes that impact businesses and retail workers the most. This is why I am supporting calls for there to be a specific offence for assaulting a shop worker. No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety and I’ve seen, first-hand, the fear, harm and damage that the abusive and violent behaviour has on shop staff.

“I’d also like to see prolific shoplifters monitored with electronic tags, as currently happens with persistent domestic abuse perpetrators and burglars. I’ve already raised this with the Policing Minister and others at the National Retail Crime Steering Group.”