 of thieves are repeat offenders — usually well known in the area — banking on the fact they won't be challenged. 'Theft is also the biggest single trigger for abuse of colleagues and violent incidents in stores. 'I've heard reports of hammers, dirty needles and knives all being used in threats against store workers unless they open the till. 'Convenience retailers are most concerned about the sanctions being issued to offenders, the time taken for police to respond to incidents and a lack of visible police presence in the community. 'Thieves are being so brazen — sometimes stealing to order, or to fund drug addiction — walking into small shops, taking armfuls of products off the shelf, putting th){kind=link}
FROM your local chippy to the corner shop and even veterinary clinics, small businesses across the country are being targeted by prolific shoplifters – and the majority are repeat offenders.
James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, says more must be done to help those struggling to keep their staff safe while battling to keep their businesses afloat.
He says: “Theft is not a victimless crime, it takes an enormous financial and personal toll on the retailers trying to run a small business in their communities.
“A startling new report from the Association of Convenience Stores found that crime cost convenience stores around £100million in 2022. There were almost a million recorded incidents of theft in stores that year.
“While retail giants like Tesco have the budgets and the staff to tackle crime and outfit their security teams with state-of-the-art body cameras, small shops can’t afford that and it’s costing them a fortune in their hard-won earnings.