Leading UK retailers urge police to “make retail crime a priority”
Posted on in Cycles News
Retailers have been urging the police to take retail crime more seriously and make it a priority.
Over 100 leading UK retailers have written a joint letter to Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales requesting that violence and abuse against retail workers be made a priority, despite themselves making a “huge investment” in crime prevention.
In the letter, reported in Retail Sector and other outlets, the retailers said they had increasing concerns about rising levels of violence and anti-social behaviour and the emotional impact it has on victims. They added that shoplifting also “pushes up the cost of operating and results in higher prices for everyone”.
UK retailers spent £715m on crime prevention in 2020/21, according to the latest Crime Survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The large sums have been spent on hired in-store security teams, training of retail teams on de-escalation and investment in CCTV and body worn cameras for staff, but retailers say police support “is vital” to protect retail workers.
During the pandemic, retail workers were subjected to a huge rise in violence and abuse, with incidents almost tripling from 455 per day in 2019/20 to 1,300 in 2020/21, according to a BRC survey.
Earlier this year, after an extensive campaign by the BRC and others, the UK Government introduced an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act which created tougher sentencing for assaults committed against those “providing a public service or performing a public duty”.