Convenience retailers have lost out an estimated £211 million over the last year as a result of shop crime, reveals the latest Crime Report by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).
This represents an average £4,543 in costs for each store and a 7p ‘crime tax’ per each transaction, the report notes.
The 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.
The figures from the report show that convenience stores have been victim of over 50,000 incidents of violence over the last year.
The financial impact of the crime is much more severe when considering the investment of £209 million in crime prevention measures like CCTV, cash handling systems and external security, the report adds.
This means a spending to the tune of £4,504 on average by each store on crime prevention measures.
“Thousands of local shops operate on very tight margins, so losses caused by crimes, especially serious incidents like robbery or burglary, can be devastating, and the consequences of losing a local shop are felt by the whole community,” ACS said in a statement.
Theft remains the biggest contributor to the cost of crime as per the report, with shops experiencing over 1.1 million thefts last year, mostly committed by repeat offenders that are stealing to fund addiction and other criminal activity.
Theft is the top most concern for retailers and encountering shoplifters, the top trigger for violence.
However, the most damaging aspect of crime is the impact it has on the people working in and running local shops. Over four in five (83%) persons who work in the convenience sector have been subjected to verbal abuse over the last year, and 50,000 people have been the victims of violence, one in four of which results in injury.
Enforcing an age restricted sales policy and refusing to serve intoxicated customers are the others two major triggers for violence against the staff. Retailers also report that almost 20 percent of the verbal abuse incidents are hate motivated.
“Local shops employ around 405,000 people. None of those people should come to work expecting to deal with abuse, threats of violence, attacks or having a weapon put in their face, but that is the reality they face,” commented James Lowman, ACS chief executive.
“This isn’t ‘low-level’ crime, this is a progressively violent cycle of reoffending that is taking an enormous toll on Britain’s local shops.”
The report sets out five areas where the government and justice system can take action to better support the convenience sector.
These actions are:
- Support local shops in investing in crime prevention equipment
- Conduct a proper review of the Out of Court Disposals system to better address the root causes of offending
- Introduce new and tougher penalties for attacks on shop workers
- Continued funding and support for the National Business Crime Centre
- Ensure that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) recognise retail crime in their local plans
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