Physical assaults on shop workers have increased year on year by almost one-third, with incidents of antisocial behaviour and verbal abuse rising by a fifth.
Co-op has said it recorded more than 175,000 incidents in the first six months of this year, nearly 1,000 per day. A freedom of information request by Co-op has highlighted that police failed to respond to 71% of reported serious retail crimes.
Organised crime and people with alcohol and drug problems were behind most of the incidents (63%), Co-op found.
Co-op campaigns and public affairs director Paul Gerrard told the BBC that “the viability of stores is being put at risk because of the activities of criminal gangs”.
Such shops were challenging to run, he said, because of the cost of keeping them open.
Staff were increasingly fearful about coming to work at such stores, he said, warning that retail “deserts” could be the consequence as shops closed.
Matt Hood, Co-op food managing director, said: “I have seen some horrific incidents of brazen and violent theft in our stores, where my store colleagues feel scared and threatened.
“I see first-hand how this criminal behaviour also erodes the very fabric of our communities, it’s hard to overemphasise how important urgent change is. Co-op has invested significantly in keeping colleagues and stores safe, but we need the police to play their part. Too often, forces fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams, and criminals are operating in communities without any fear of consequences.”
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Police data has shown that police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded nearly 33,000 incidents of shoplifting in March 2023 – 30.9% more than March 2022, as the cost of living crisis accelerates.
Paddy Lillis, general secretary of shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said: “Evidence is mounting that retail crime is on the increase, especially from repeat and prolific offenders. Added to this Co-op report is a 24% uplift in official police-recorded incidents of shoplifting.
“This is very concerning for our members in retail, because shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers and, as the Co-op rightly says, it is often linked to organised crime gangs.”
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Lillis underlined the toll taken on shopworkers’ health of crime. He said: “Having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can cause issues beyond the theft itself like anxiety, fear and in some cases physical harm to retail workers. There must be better coordination to ensure that government, retail employers, police and the courts work together to help protect shopworkers, giving them the protection they deserve.”
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