[November 2024]
Coming after a month where some of Hastings’ most prolific offernders have received prison sentences for shop theft, burglary, and violence, we look at some practical solutions being put forward that might further help turn the tide in the fight against retail crime.
The Justice and Home Affairs Committee has written to the Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson MP, following their inquiry into the rising problem of shop theft.
The recommendations include
- Acknowledgement of the work of Business Crime Reduction Partnerships
- Phasing out the term Shoplifting as it undermines the seriousness of the problem, and to use the term Shop Theft instead.
- Removal of the £200 rule
- More funding for community rehabilitation and recovery services, to break the cycle of offending
- Funding for Pegasus to continue, and also widen the remit to remove the need for cross-jurisdictional offending, enabling local organised crime to be included too.
- Key Performance Indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of Police Forces against commitments made in the Retail Crime Action Plan.
A short summary of findings is as follows:
Summary of Crime Reporting, Motivations, Police Perceptions, and Recommended Solutions
1. Why Few Crimes Are Reported
- Lack of Police Response: Retailers, especially in smaller businesses, are discouraged from reporting due to poor police responses. In many cases, even serious incidents receive minimal attention. For example, convenience store staff report that police often don’t respond to crimes involving shop theft or, if they do, it is significantly delayed.
- Time-Intensive Reporting Process: Reporting incidents, especially providing CCTV and other evidence, can be time-consuming, deterring businesses from reporting recurring minor thefts.
- Fear of Retaliation: Given the proximity of offenders to local stores, many retailers fear repercussions from reporting crimes, particularly when the offenders are known community members.
2. Motivations for Crimes
- Economic Hardship and Addiction: A significant portion of shoplifting is attributed to individuals struggling with drug addiction or poverty, who may steal to fund substance dependencies. Organized networks exploit these individuals, creating a cycle of crime.
- Organized Retail Theft: Some shoplifting is motivated by organized crime, where individuals or small networks target stores to obtain goods for resale. These individuals often feel emboldened by low police presence and the perceived ease of getting away with theft.
3. Perceptions of the Police
- Disappointment and Frustration: Retailers express widespread frustration at what they perceive as police indifference to shop theft, particularly when offenders are known and repeat their crimes across multiple stores without facing consequences.
- Increasing Responsiveness but with Limitations: New efforts, such as partnerships like Operation Pegasus and Project Opal, have started to yield better police responses in some regions. However, limited resources still prevent effective intervention in all areas, particularly those with high crime rates and lower populations.
4. Practical Solutions to Reduce Crime
- Strengthening Reporting and Partnerships: Simplified online reporting systems and collaborative partnerships with Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs) can ease the reporting process and enable faster responses. Effective examples include radio networks and data-sharing platforms that allow local businesses to alert each other and authorities in real-time.
- Increased Support for BCRPs and Community Engagement: Encouraging more businesses to join local crime reduction partnerships helps pool resources and creates a cohesive community approach to tackling retail crime. Enhanced funding and regulation for BCRPs could provide more consistent support for smaller communities.
- Legislative Reforms: Proposed changes include making assaulting a shop worker a standalone offense and revising laws around retail theft to strengthen penalties, aiming to reduce the appeal of theft as a low-risk crime.
- Investment in Security Technology: Retailers and police are encouraged to use technology like CCTV, facial recognition, and automated reporting systems to streamline evidence collection and make police follow-ups more efficient.
