The Justice and Home Affairs Committee held its second and third oral evidence sessions earlier this week, which included hearing from Co-op and The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) about the impact of shop theft, alongside the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships, the Safer Business Network, and Professor Emmeline Taylor of City University.
ACS shared the experiences of its members with reporting shoplifting and dealing with police when affected by shop theft, emphasising the lack of faith in police and the need to take offenders out of the cycle of reoffending.
Figures from the 2024 ACS Crime Report show that there have been over 76,000 incidents of violence recorded in the convenience sector over the last year, and over 5.6 million incidents of theft. The top three triggers for abuse in stores were reported as challenging thieves, enforcing age restricted sales policies, and refusing to serve customers that are intoxicated.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Shop thieves are usually repeat offenders, two- or three-person crime waves in a housing estate or village, and we are seeing not just a higher volume of theft, we’re seeing more brazen incidents with thieves simply clearing shelves.”
“In some areas we are starting to see much better protocols on reporting crime but in too many areas retailers think it’s just not worth reporting crime. There isn’t the faith in the police and courts that there will be effective penalties for prolific repeat offenders. I don’t think the police are doing nearly enough to investigate re-sellers of stolen goods. This challenge isn’t even being taken on in many areas.”
ACS are continuing to share its members’ experiences and are continuing to work with the Home Office and leading high street retailers on the ShopKind campaign, which encourages customers to respect shopworkers. More information about ShopKind and how to get involved with the campaign is available here.
Earlier this year, ACS gave evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, highlighting the human impact of crime on local shops and the challenges retailers face when reporting crime to the police.
