The retail industry is calling on candidates to commit to three
pledges that would support the fight against spiralling retail
crime ahead of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections on
2 May.
As part of its #GetToughonRetailCrime campaign, the British
Retail Consortium (BRC) calls on PCC candidates to commit to the
following:
- Make retail crime a priority in Police and Crime Plans
- Work with other policing stakeholders to ensure the
standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker is used (once
introduced) and data on its use is tracked
- Allocate necessary resources for tackling retail crime in
their region
On 10 April, the Government announced a standalone offence for
assaulting a retail worker. This new legislation
should help improve the police response as police will now have
the necessary data to understand the scale of the problem and
allocate sufficient resource to improve their response to
incidents.
The BRC's latest crime survey shows levels of
violence and abuse facing people working in retail skyrocketed
across the country to over 1,300 incidents per day in 2022/23,
from 870 the year before. These incidents, which can include
everything from threats with weapons and physical assaults to
racial slurs, can take a severe toll on the physical and mental
health of victims, who must return to their workplace day after
day wondering whether they will be targeted.
Shoplifting poses a huge issue to businesses and communities
across the country. Last year, losses to theft doubled to £1.8bn,
with 45,000 incidents every day. This money could be better
invested improving the shopping experience and reducing prices
for customers. Not only has the number of thefts increased, but
thieves are becoming bolder, more aggressive, and more frequently
armed with weapons.
Retailers are playing their part in fighting retail crime,
spending a record £1.2bn on crime prevention measures last year.
Government has signaled their support, and now police forces in
all corners of the country can step up and help protect the three
million hardworking people in retail.
Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British
Retail Consortium, said:
“Inadequate police action has given criminals free rein to steal
goods and assault retail colleagues. Newly elected PCCs have a
fantastic opportunity to get tough on retail crime through the
new standalone offence, and I hope the next wave of PCCs deliver
the protections that those working in retail and our communities
up and down the country deserve.”
