20/01/2015

18% Rise In Retail Crime

Retail crime increased by 18% in 2013/14, costing the sector £603m, according to the latest report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

According to to the report shoplifting, cyber-crime and fraud are now at a ten year high, with an estimated 3m offences perpetrated against the retail industry in the time period.

Key figures show customer theft accounted for 81% of all retail crime, with the average value per theft increasing by 36%. Employee theft accounted for 6%, falling for a third year in a row but still above to long-term average.

The report states: "The impact of business crime is not merely financial: it has wide-reaching consequences for businesses, their employees and the local community. Offending on our high streets damages perceptions of the local area and criminals who target businesses are also often linked to other types of criminal activity.

"At present, there is no comprehensive measure of crime committed against businesses in the UK. Data is not collected or published in the same way as for other offending. In the absence of reliable official data, the BRC Retail Crime Survey provides valuable evidence to help fill the gap in our understanding about the impact of crime on retailers, a key sector of our economy.

"We cannot fight crime against businesses effectively until the true scale of the problem is measured and understood. This is why the implementation of the ACPO national business crime definition by police forces around the country is so important. Once fully adopted, this will allow police forces to collect and analyse business crime data reported to them. This can then be used to develop dedicated strategies and inform operational activity.

(MH/CD)

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