1000’s of shoplifters are strolling free after being detained by undercover guards in Co-op shops, because the retailer urged motion to cease criminals viewing it as against the law with out penalties.
The agency stated there had been some early indicators of enchancment because the Authorities stepped in to assist crack down on a spike in retail crime.
But it surely comes after reporting the best ranges of store crime final yr with greater than 335,000 circumstances of shoplifting, abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour throughout its meals shops.
Co-op stated that specifically educated undercover guards detained about 3,360 suspected criminals throughout its shops throughout 2023.
Earlier this yr, it discovered police did not attend in almost 4 out of 5 circumstances the place somebody had been detained in its outlets.
New information exhibits that because the Authorities launched its Retail Crime Motion Plan, non-attendance charges have improved however police are nonetheless failing to attend in three out of 5 circumstances, Co-op instructed the PA information company.
It signifies that 1000’s of shoplifters are nonetheless strolling free even after being caught by specialist safety guards, which Co-op stated sends the message that it’s consequence-free crime.
The Authorities’s plan, launched late final yr, included a police dedication to prioritise urgently attending the scene of shoplifting incidents involving violence towards a store employee, the place safety guards have detained an offender or to safe proof.
Crime and policing minister Chris Philp stated he needed a brand new “zero-tolerance strategy” to tackling shoplifting.
Matt Hood, Co-op’s managing director of meals retail, stated the difficulty is “crucial and isn’t going away”, including that repeat prolific offenders and organised prison gangs have been behind the spike in incidents.
He stated the Authorities’s plan was welcomed by the retailer, however that he must “see it in motion in our shops, in order that the determined calls from frontline colleagues to the police are responded to, and criminals do begin to realise there are actual penalties to their actions of shoplifting in our outlets”.
In February, Co-op stated its partnerships with quite a few police forces, together with in Nottinghamshire, Essex and Sussex, had over the previous yr eliminated and managed 110 prolific offenders, with a mixed 30 years of custodial sentences.
It has additionally invested greater than £200 million in recent times in workers security, together with bodyworn cameras, safe kiosks, locked doorways on high-value merchandise, and dummy or empty packaging to discourage bulk theft.
