The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) and the crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers have extending their partnership this week.
The two organisations have been working together since 2010 and have worked on a number of projects together, primarily on trying to support law enforcement with appeals for information on incidents that have occurred against convenience store staff.
In March 2011, Crimestoppers and ACS offered a reward of up to £50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting of a child and a 35-year-old man at a store in Stockwell, London. In April 2012, three men were sentenced for this offence.
In July 2012, the two organisations teamed up to offer a reward of up to £50,000 for information on the murder of shopkeeper, Javaid Ali, in Paisley, Renfrewshire. In November 2012, a man was charged with Mr Ali’s murder.
James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: “Thankfully violence against retailers remains extremely rare, but when these incidents happen it is important that the industry stands together and does what it can to help.
“We hope that we will not need to offer any rewards in 2013 but we remain committed to doing so if necessary. We look forward to developing our partnership with Crimestoppers in 2013.”
Crimestoppers head of development Anamari Bishopp said: “This is yet another example of an organisation making a commitment to fighting crime directly affecting the industry it works in, and we are pleased to be supporting this fight.
“The Association of Convenience Stores is an important partner for Crimestoppers in tackling incidents against retailers and we look forward to working with them going forward to try and stamp out this crime.”
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