Time to get tough on shoplifting
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez highlights efforts being made to tackle the scourge of retail crime, much of which is fuelled by drug dependency
ONE of the best things I can do with my time, as I prepare for my third Police and Crime Plan, is to get out and meet people who are at the sharp end of crime.
The plan, which sets the strategic direction for policing and my commissioning, has had to adapt and change as offending evolves; and in the past 18 months I have become increasingly aware of the impact of shoplifting and theft from businesses.
My focus on anti-social behaviour and drug misuse in town and city centres has put me in contact with several shopkeepers and small businesses who are regularly targeted by those feeding drug habits. As national Police and Crime Commissioner lead for serious and organised crime, I am all too aware of a relatively new phenomenon of shoplifting gangs stealing on an industrial scale.
Meeting people who have invested their own time and money in creating businesses, who see their profits being eaten away and the safety of their staff risked, makes me determined to find a solution to shoplifting.
While Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on crime for the year to March 2024 provides some reassurance – Devon and Cornwall Police operates has the third lowest recorded crime levels of 43 forces in England and Wales – they illustrate a significant rise in shoplifting, which is just under the national increase of 30% on the previous year. The ONS says it was the worst year on record for shoplifting, with 430,000 cases recorded across the UK.
Shops – especially independent ones – are a key part of the solution to improving our towns and cities. I have invested millions of pounds of central government money in making them safer places to be, with improved CCTV and additional uniformed patrols, but to make them great places to visit we must have the confidence of the public sector.
That’s why I’m determined to crack down on shoplifting. To make an impact, we must tackle the root causes of shoplifting.
A 2018 report by the Centre for Social Justice suggested that drug dependencies drove 70% of shoplifting. Police, therefore, have a role in not only tackling the thefts but targeting the supply of drugs.
Across the South West, we have developed Operation Scorpion to target drug dealers and users. In two years, this Police and Crime Commissioner-led initiative has taken substances worth more than £7 million off the streets.
One of the reasons criminals are drawn to shoplifting is the myth that police are not interested in tackling it. There has never been a threshold in terms of value at which police will not attend, but the belief that this exists discourages reporting, encouraging more crime and the sense that it is ‘safer’ to commit than other crimes.
Since the National Police Chiefs’ Council introduced its Retail Crime Action Plan last October, officers are more likely than ever to attend and make an arrest. We can all therefore do our bit by ensuring shoplifting gets reported. There are also numerous new tools which can be used to tackle shoplifting, rural and hospitality crime.
Next month, Safer Business Action Week is kicked off with three Business Crime Expos I am sponsoring. Organised by the South West Business Crime Centre, and held in central Exeter, these consist of a day dedicated to retail crime prevention on Monday, October 14, and two expos on Tuesday, October 15; one on rural crime in the morning, and one focused on the hospitality sector that afternoon.
The events will showcase technology designed to tackle theft and crime prevention methods, interspersed with keynote speakers. Because I have chosen to sponsor them, entry is free, although places are limited.
If you would like to attend, register at https://swbcc.co.uk/ business-crime-expo/