The volume and severity of violent incidents in convenience stores is unprecedented. There is a strong correlation between rising incidents of shop theft and violence towards shop workers, says the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) in its annual crime report. It estimates the cost of crime to convenience stores at £245m a year.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Retailers are facing an onslaught of crime committed against their businesses on a daily basis, with some losing tens of thousands of pounds per year to theft alone. This extended crimewave cannot be allowed to continue. Thieves are known to the community and to the police but they simply do not care, and continue on regardless, filling baskets and trolleys and walking out without fear of reproach.
“There have been positive steps forward made in recent months with the publication of the Retail Crime Action Plan and the launching of Operation Pegasus to try and better identify prolific offenders and bring them to justice, but the figures in our report demonstrate that more needs to be done urgently. Nobody should have to come to work and face what retailers and their colleagues have faced over the last year.”
In a foreword to the document, Lowman notes that the report comes weeks before the May 2 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales; he called on PCC candidates ‘to make crimes against local shops a priority’.
SPAR, Costcutter, Freshfields and the Co-op are among retailers quoted in the report; as is North Wales Police Chief Supt Alex Goss, the national police lead on crime against retail. Shop thieves increasingly use violence and abuse to intimidate shop workers so they can get away from the scene, the report details. Localised gangs are stealing to order from stores, often exploiting vulnerable people with addiction problems to steal on their behalf. Some gangs operate across police force boundaries. Most, 76 per cent of retailers told the survey that they believe that incidents in their businesses involving organised crime groups have increased in the last year.
While welcoming Operation Pegasus, arranged by the security contractor Mitie for high street retailers and police to share evidence, the ACS report called on government to make it easier for all retailers to report incidents.
The ACS said that taken together, that £245m cost of crime and the spending against crime results in a ten pence ‘crime tax’ on every transaction in every UK convenience store; up from six pence in the 2023 report. Other findings from the 2024 Crime Report include:
The top motivations for repeat offending are drug or alcohol addiction (1), organised crime (2) and opportunism (3);
The top triggers for abuse in stores are encountering shop thieves (1), enforcing the law on age restricted sales (2) and refusing to serve intoxicated customers (3);
Most, 87pc of staff in convenience stores have faced verbal abuse over the last year. Two thirds of retailers (67pc) believe that the cost of living crisis has led to an increase in theft; and
Some three quarters of retailers (76pc) believe organised crime has become more prevalent over the last year.
For the 12-page report, visit the ACS website. The document also offers advice on managing crime, and in-store security.
Comment
For the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Lead on Business and Retail Crime, Sussex Conservative PCC Katy Bourne said: “The ACS Crime Report 2024 serves as a reminder that incidents of retail-related crimes, such as shoplifting along with abuse and violence targeted at shop workers, have reached unacceptable levels.
“For too long, these sorts of offences have not been taken seriously enough but that is changing. I am encouraged by the NPCC’s recent announcement that implementation of the National Retail Crime Action Plan is starting to show positive results, with police attending more crimes where violence has been used.
“Whilst this is indeed welcome news, many retailers will be concerned that it is not yet enough. I reiterate my call for a more robust approach to retail-related crime – a call echoed by Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) up and down the country – with more Police and Crime Plans than ever before highlighting this as a priority. As a result, PCCs can hold Chief Constables accountable for a better and more consistent response to business crimes in their local areas.
“Last year, I established the Pegasus initiative which sees some of the country’s largest retailers sharing intelligence with police to provide a clearer picture of the organised criminal gangs who are behind so much retail crime.
“It is not right that shop workers spend their days at work feeling at risk of abuse or violence so I fully support their calls for a specific offence of assaulting a shop worker. I also want to see greater use of facial recognition technology to catch perpetrators and electronic tagging of persistent shoplifters. Enough is enough and PCCs stand ready to support our nation’s shop workers.”
