ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the announcement of a series of measures aimed at supporting retailers and their colleagues in the battle against violent crime and repeat offending.
The measures announced today by the Prime Minister include:
ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, highlighting the ways that PCCs across England and Wales are engaging with businesses to tackle retail crime.
The report, published today, follows the publication of the Retail Crime Action Plan in 2023 which establishes how police officers should respond to shop theft and violent incidents in stores. All police forces have signed up to the Action Plan.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to take urgent action to stop the abuse and violence faced by people working in retail just for doing their job.
2020 Crime Report Sets out Evidence for Action on Crime Against Convenience Sector
Britain’s local shops have been the victim of over 50,000 incidents of violence over the last year, according to new figures from the Association of Convenience Stores’ 2020 Crime Report.
The Crime Report, being launched this week, provides evidence of the scale and impact of theft, violence, abuse and other crimes committed against convenience store retailers and their staff, setting out a clear vision for how the Government and the justice system can take action.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has reiterated calls to the Government to take urgent action to tackle violence toward and abuse shopworkers, highlighting the human impact that these incidents have.
In a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (14th January) the Prime Minister called for Whitehall Departments to focus on tackling crime, stating that “every department should consider itself a criminal justice department” as part of the focus to tackle the “complex causes of crime”.
The Ministry of Justice has published data on the number of penalty notices issued for shop theft under £100, showing a significant decline over the last ten years.
The statistical bulletin covering the year ending June 2019 found a 95% decline since 2009 from 49,445 penalty notices issued for shop theft offences under £100 to 2,278. Penalty notices or out of court disposals, are the most commonly used approach when dealing with shop theft offenders.
Home Office Minister Kit Malthouse MP has committed to a review of the £200 threshold for the police prosecuting shop theft offences after the General Election, as part of a debate on retail crime in Parliament today.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has written to the Minister of State for the Home Office Kit Malthouse MP, calling for an urgent response to the call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shopworkers ahead of a parliamentary debate on prevention of retail crime.
In the letter, ACS revealed that there has been an estimated 200,000 assaults and threats of people working in retail and wholesale sector since the Home Office’s call for evidence closed.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched an online template to help retailers respond to the Home Office’s call for evidence on violence and abuse against shop staff.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to new figures from the Office for National Statistics’ annual Crime Survey for England and Wales, reiterating calls on retailers to report incidents of shop theft when they occur.
According to the ONS survey, which covers the whole of retail, the number of police recorded shop theft incidents for the year ending December 2018 decreased by 3% to 374,895 offences.
