Co-op sees crime rise 44% year-on-year

Record levels of crime were seen last year by Co-op, according to a new report commissioned by the convenience retailer.

Co-op reported that undercover guards detained 3,361 criminals in its stores in 2023, yet two-in-five criminals detained by trained security guards still walk away with police failing to attend.

Co-op also revealed that it saw more than 1,325 physical assaults against store workers in 2023 (up 34% year-on-year), allegedly equivalent to three or four colleagues attacked or assaulted every day.

The 10-point plan centres on making attacking a shopworker a stand-alone offence, an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that Labour has been calling for. It also includes reviewing the Retail Crime Action Plan, introducing specialist intensive supervision courts for retail crime and PCCs to commit to developing a strategy to tackling prolific retail crime in their Police and Crime Plans.

Matt Hood, managing director at Co-op Food, said: “We are seeing far too many prolific offenders persistently steal large volumes of products. It is imperative MPs don’t turn their backs on shopworkers, and vote through the amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to give my colleagues the protection they deserve.”

Co-op added it has seen ‘green shoots of improvement’ since the launch of the Retail Crime Action Plan. 

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