Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
It followed a report launched 7 February, commissioned by Co-op, and written by professor of criminology Emmeline Taylor at City, University of London, that outlined a ten-point plan to tackle record levels of shop theft and violence.
In response to the BRC figures, Jason Towse, managing director, business services at facilities management and professional services company Mitie, said: “The new figures show there are now 1,300 violent and abusive incidents against shopworkers per day up from 837 in the previous year.
“Over the course of the year that is 475,000 people who have faced physical or psychological harm just by going to work. This is beyond unacceptable.
“Nobody should be faced with violence at work. The proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to introduce a standalone offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker must be supported, a clear signal that violence will not be tolerated.
“Amending the bill alone is just one element in a package of solutions. With multiple drivers of retail crime, we need a consistent, multilayered approach to stamp it out. Criminals are constantly evolving their techniques and so must the retail industry if it is to gain the edge over offenders.
“Pegasus, a new initiative launched in late 2023, brings together a powerful combination of industry leading technology with highly trained specialists.
“Through Pegasus, the sharing of anonymised information between 13 retailers including Boots, M&S and Co-op is already starting to build a bigger picture of retail crime across the UK.
“Crime hotspots and patterns can be mapped, and data can be provided to the police. An organised crime gang can be tracked from Liverpool to Leicester to Llandudno.
“For retailers, the security industry, police and the government, it’s important that we continue to collaborate to fight retail crime or we will find ourselves looking at a further increase over the next 12 months.
“We cannot let that happen, our retail workers, and their families, deserve better. Shoplifting is not a victimless crime”.
Patrick Howarth, partner in Foot Anstey’s retail and consumer team, described the figures as shocking, he feels they aren’t far off previous Foot Anstey research.
“Sadly, today’s shocking figures continue to highlight the reality for retailers and their staff, who face a daily battle to respond to harassment taking place in their stores,” he said.
“Our own surveys going back to 2019 reached similar conclusions.
“Changing this depressing picture will involve a combination of preventative measures; understanding where, when and how the biggest issues arise; and a dedicated mission to improve store colleagues’ lived experience of dealing with abusive customers and security threats.”
JTI called the findings “a wake-up call for policymakers.”
Focusing on the link between customers being asked for age verification and attacks on staff, a company spokesperson said: “The findings of the British Retail Consortium’s recently published Crime Survey 2024 Report should be a wake-up call for policymakers.
“The survey found that one of the two most common triggers for attacks against retailers is asking for ID for age verification.
“In the case of the ‘Generational Tobacco Ban’ currently proposed by the government, retailers will legally be forced to decline sales, not to children as is now the case, but to fully-grown adults of increasing age, if they cannot present satisfactory ID.
“Retailers will once again be put in the firing line if they are left to enforce this untested and unproven legislation, where failure to carry out the check is a criminal offence for the employee but not for the perpetrator of an under-age sale.
“Undoubtedly this will lead to a further increase in threatening behaviour towards the retail community.”
