The ACS highlighted convenience retailers’ lack of faith in police dealing with shoplifting, and the need to take offenders out of the cycle of reoffending, to a House of Lords committee yesterday taking evidence on retail crime.
In what was the second and third oral evidence sessions for the Justice and Home Affairs Committee inquiry into the problem, ACS chief executive James Lowman, one of several industry representatives giving input, explained how the problem of shoplifting was intensifying.
“Shop thieves are usually repeat offenders, two- or three-person crime waves in a housing estate or village, and we are seeing not just a higher volume of theft, we’re seeing more brazen incidents with thieves simply clearing shelves,” he told the committee.
While there has been some impovements in police liason in certain areas this is not widespread, Lowman said.
“In some areas we are starting to see much better protocols on reporting crime but in too many areas retailers think it’s just not worth reporting crime,” he said.
”There isn’t the faith in the police and courts that there will be effective penalties for prolific repeat offenders. I don’t think the police are doing nearly enough to investigate re-sellers of stolen goods. This challenge isn’t even being taken on in many areas,” he added.
He said that the top three triggers for abuse in stores were staff challenging thieves, enforcing age restricted sales policies, and refusing to serve customers that are intoxicated.
Figures from the 2024 ACS Crime Report show that there have been over 76,000 incidents of violence recorded in the convenience sector over the last year, and over 5.6 million incidents of theft.
The ACS says it is continuing to share its members’ experiences and is continuing to work with the Home Office and leading high street retailers on the ShopKind campaign, which encourages customers to respect shopworkers.
