The Office for National Statistics has released figures on crime in England and Wales for the year ending March 2018, reporting a 3% increase in the number of shop theft offences to 382,100 over the last year.
Regionally, London has seen the biggest decrease in shop theft incidents with a fall of 2%, while the North East has seen the biggest increase, with 12% more shop theft incidents than the previous year.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The increase in shop theft offences reported by the ONS is concerning but not surprising. Retailers lose over £1,700 a year each on average as a result of shop theft, without taking into account the human cost of retailers and their colleagues having to deal with abuse and violence as a result of challenging shop thieves. Shop theft and the causes of shop theft need to be taken seriously, which is why we’re calling on all Police and Crime Commissioners to sign up to our pledge.”
The ACS Police and Crime Commissioner pledge calls on PCCs to ensure that their police forces take shop theft and abuse of staff seriously, and that police respond to incidents when they occur. Template letters for retailers to send to their PCC and MP are available here: https://www.acs.org.uk/lobbying
There is also currently cross party support for an Early Day Motion (1415) in parliament, highlighting the impact of crime on retailers. The EDM currently has 19 signatures – more details are available at https://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/1415
Figures from the ACS Voice of Local Shops Survey show that only a third of convenience retailers report not experiencing any theft in their business over the last year, while just under one in five (18%) have reported an increase in shop theft.
The full ONS Statistical Bulletin is available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2018
