On average a convenience store is losing £4631 from crime, according to the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) Crime Report 2017.
The report sets out how crime against convenience retailers cost an estimated £232m last year. The total annual cost of shop theft to the convenience sector is over £131m, or £2,600 per store. The most commonly stolen items are, first, alcohol, then meat and confectionery.
Age-related sales (or to be exact, anger when retailers upholding the law won’t sell to the under-age), refusal to sell to drunks and seeking to prevent thefts are the main causes for aggressive or abusive behaviour by customers against shop staff in the convenience sector, according to the report. This mirrors a similar recent report from a Scottish grocery trade body.
Speakers an ACS crime seminar in London included Gareth Lewis, loss prevention and security services manager, The Southern Co-operative; Farah McNutt, the creator of Catch A Thief; Michelle Douglas, national safety and loss manager at fashion retailer River Island; Steve Nichols, business engagement manager, Sussex Police; Catherine Bowen of National Business Crime Solution; and Richard Barron, chief executive of the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP).
The ACS report also shows the measures that are being taken by convenience stores owners and managers to tackle crime in their area, with each store in the sector spending an average of over £3,900 per year on crime prevention measures including CCTV, more secure cash storage methods and external security staff.
The Home Office Minister for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism, Sarah Newton, gave a video message to the event, pictured. She said: “Retail crime harms businesses, consumers and communities while violent crime can have a devastating impact on the victim. This Government is acting to tackle both violent and retail crime, by identifying what drives criminals and bringing together new research, techniques and technology to prevent offending and bring perpetrators to justice.
“We are working closely with police and retailers to improve our understanding of the nature of crimes against the sector. Just last month our work with police and petrol station retailers, led by ACS, saw us introduce new measures to tackle petrol theft.”
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Over the last year, many retailers have reported a significant increase in the level of crime against their stores. There are many factors influencing this, including investment in crime detection measures such as CCTV and external security which has led to retailers being more aware of the theft occurring in their stores. Unfortunately, the vast majority of what are perceived to be low level crimes such as shop theft still go unreported to police. Shop theft is not a victimless crime, and must be taken seriously by the police. The current laws around shop theft do not adequately capture those who are repeat offenders stealing low value items (less than £200) on a regular basis, and we believe this needs to change.
“We encourage retailers to build relationships with their local police forces and show them the damage, both financial and human, that theft and other crimes do to them and their staff.”
The Crime Report also offers guidance for retailers and staff on how to reduce crime in stores, and details what to do when crime occurs.
To download a copy of the 2017 Crime Report, click here.
