fbpx

Retail crime initiatives risk leaving independents behind

Retail crime initiatives such as data sharing and one touch reporting should be extended to include independent convenience stores, according to an MP

Independent retailers must not be left behind by major supermarket-funded anti-retail-crime initiatives, MP and retail crime campaigner Steve McCabe has warned.

At the retail crime All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting on 17 January, representa­tives from police forces, major retailers and politi­cal parties praised data-sharing plans designed to catch shoplifters. These include ‘Pro­ject Pegasus’, which allows selected retailers and police to share data on suspected criminals. Meanwhile, ‘One Touch Reporting’ in Brighton simplifies Co-op’s ability to report crime, and the police’s ability to rapidly respond to these reports.

However, these exam­ples and many others are not available to inde­pendent shops. While some attendees claimed arresting more suspects was good for all shops, local shop owners have previously expressed concerns around retail crime being pushed into less-protected sites.

Need to share

Addressing politicians, senior police figures and retailers at the event, Mc­Cabe, the APPG’s chair, said: “Independent traders have a different funding base and differ­ent options [compared with major retailers]. We really need to push for better data, better use, better analysis of what’s already there. There are a lot of really good things happening in the UK and they don’t get shared.”

Also at the meeting, at­tended by Better Retailing, was Labour’s shadow police minister, Alex Norris. He added that the “extraordinary foot­print” of big chains and trade groups gave them the unique ability to de­termine which measures are most successful in combating retail crime. However, Norris added technology and data cannot make up for chal­lenges in policing.

“The developments around tech are great extras,” Norris said. “but the mundane fact is it’s about police response.”

In this area, the shad­ow minister said there was cause for alarm. He described hold­ing “concerns about the deliverability” of the Retail Crime Action Plan launched last year. The plan saw police forces pledge to investigate every lead and to prioritise attend­ance at retail crime inci­dents involving violence.

Retail Crime Action plan

Patrick Holdaway, from the National Business Crime Centre, was involved in writing the Retail Crime Action Plan. He pointed out that 55% of retail crimes are closed because there is no known suspect. A further 13% because the retailer did not want to go forward.

“If we get reports of the crime and there’s no evidence, I don’t think the public would expect us to investigate,” Holda­way said. “You have to find the most appropriate method for retailers to report.”

He added that police should question “what value” they would be adding by attending crime scenes.

Read more retail crime news

Comments

This article doesn't have any comments yet, be the first!

Become a member to have your say