"Business robbery" in premises including convenience stores has seen an increase of 244 per cent in Kent, according to new figures released by the authority, in stark contrast to dip in overall crime rate
As emerged in the recent data released in a report from Kent Police chief constable Tim Smith, Kent businesses have experienced a "stark" rise in shoplifting and retail robbery in the past year.
A new Home Office-defined classification of "business robbery", the crimes where thieves use or threaten force on a shop worker before or during the theft, has seen an increase of 244 per cent, from 68 to 234 crimes, in the same timeframe. This would previously have been recorded as shoplifting.
Smith said a 3.8 per cent increase in its "solved" offences (to 32.1 per cent) made the county one of the best in England, although its recording of such criminal activity remained a focus.
Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott said the change would "ensure those working in the retail industry are afforded the corresponding protection and the perpetrators are held to account".
Meanwhile in Coventry, a new system is introduced in Coventry to encourage retailers to report retail crime and cut shoplifting.
Coventry's Business Improvement District (BID) has introduced street patrols and a radio reporting system to combat the rising problem of shoplifting and retail crime, which costs some shops thousands of pounds in stolen goods.
The BID team is working with West Midlands Police to reduce retail crime and ensure it was quick and easy to report incidents when they happened.
The BID's work includes educating staff on how to report crime, and why it is important to report incidents even after they have taken place.
The force said in August that it had seen a sharp increase in shoplifting arrests, although some traders have queried how effective moves against retail crime have been. Regular crime reduction meetings are also being held, attended by businesses and retailers in the city.