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Shoplifters make off with £13 billion

11/10/2006

More than £13 billion worth of goods has been stolen from retailers since the turn of the century, a new report reveals.

The annual retail crime survey from the British Retail Consortium shows that in the six years since 2000, shoplifting incidents have increased by 70 per cent, despite retailers of all shapes and sizes collectively spending £4.3 billion in preventative measures.

Today's survey also claims that more and more staff are victims of violence from thieves when attempting to detain criminals or protect shop property.

Kevin Hawkins, BRC director general, said that government plans to ease inmate overcrowding by not issuing prison sentences to shoplifters had been exposed as flawed.

"The huge increase in the number of shoplifting incidents is extremely worrying. It is having a very serious financial impact and is putting the safety and wellbeing of staff and customers at risk. Soft penalties and poor enforcement are to blame," he said.

Mr Hawkins added: "Shoplifting is an entry level crime, which leads to more dangerous criminal activities. Removing deterrents also increases the risk of violence against shop staff. There must be prison for those who repeatedly and persistently break the law and treatment for those responsible for drug related offences."

The BRC data reveals that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the worst-affected by shoplifting, largely due to a lack of resources for staff and security measures.

Fifteen per cent of SMEs have apparently been forced to close for a period of time due to retail crime, while one in ten have granted shop workers compassionate leave due to traumatic experiences involving shoplifters, who on average steal £149 worth of goods at a time.

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