UK retail leaders ask Govt for effective policing and stiffer sentences for shoplifting

LONDON, Oct 2: Retailers in the UK have sought from the Government immediate action to stop shoplifting that has assumed epidemic proportions and is wiping out their profits and depleting the stocks.

The spurt in the offences has followed a meteoric rise in cost of living, it has been observed. Organized gangs sell on stolen goods. The cost of retail crime was £1.76 billion ($2.15 billion) in the year to April. Shoplifting has risen by about 27 per cent in 10 major cities across the UK this year.

Eighty eight retail leaders have asked for effective policing and stiffer sentences for offenders of surging shoplifting and abuse of store staff. The top retailers including Burberry, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Currys, JD Sports, Tesco, Asda, Matalan, Sainsbury’s and Harvey Nichols have called upon Home Secretary Suella Braverman in a letter to Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, warned of “unacceptable levels of violence and abuse amid a rise in theft, much of it organised crime”.

“We are seeing organised gangs threatening staff with weapons and emptying stores. We are seeing violence against colleagues who are doing their job and asking for age verification," Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, which represents the sector, said.

“We are seeing a torrent of abuse aimed at hard-working shop staff. It’s simply unacceptable — no one should have to go to work fearing for their safety.” she said.

According to BRC, police officers failed to respond to nearly three- quarters of the serious incidents of retail crime reported. T he BRC annual crime survey said that the police response was “poor” or “very poor” in half the cases surveyed. There were 342,000 shoplifting offences recorded in the 12 months to March compared with 375,00 recorded in the year ending March 2019.

The worst victims are supermarkets followed by clothing and luxury goods stores. John Lewis stated that it had suffered a £12mn year-on-year increase in stock “shrinkage” this month while another leading retailer Primark said its profit is plummeting because of an increase in theft.

Meanwhile, the police claim that they are committed to taking action against the offenders. “Violent offences will never be tolerated and we prioritise our policing response where there is a risk to individuals,” they said. However, data shows that they failed to respond to 73 per cent of serious retail crimes.

Abusing a shop worker is already an offence in Scotland but not elsewhere. Retailers want this to be extended, apart from more strict laws.

A new development is that Tesco recently started offering body cameras to its staff for better protection against thieves.

What the law says: There are different reasons for shoplifting, but it is always a crime. If caught shoplifting, you will be arrested and, you either will be charged with theft under s1 of the Theft Act 1986; or, if the goods stolen are worth less than £200, for low-value shoplifting under s176 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.

If you are convicted in court of shoplifting, you can be fined and/ or jailed for up to six months if the goods are worth less than £200; or for a maximum of seven years if they are worth more than £200.

More than 80,000 cases of theft from shops come before the courts each year.