SHOPPING CRIME

Almost half of retailers and wholesalers believe violent crime increased during the pandemic

ALMOST four in 10 shops and wholesalers were targeted by criminals last year - including physical assaults that left staff suffering injuries. A Home Office survey of businesses in the wholesale and retail sector found that 38% reported being a victim of crime in the year ending March 2021.

That is similar to before the pandemic when 40% of businesses in that sector said they had suffered from crime in 2018, but lower than almost a decade ago when 53% said they were targeted in 2012.

The most common crime last year was theft (27%) followed by assaults or threats (12%) and then burglary (10%).

Of businesses that had suffered from theft, one in 10 (11%) said it happened more than once a day.

Most thefts were carried out by customers and the items most likely to be stolen were food and groceries. In 2021 39% of all stolen items were food and groceries, compared to 33% in 2018. That rise may be partly due to the pandemic - which hit many people’s incomes - and the cost of living crisis, with prices rising from early 2021.

Theft from customers was also the crime that was least likely to be reported to police, with only 58% of respondents saying they reported such crimes, compared to 93% of burglaries.

Meanwhile, almost half of business owners (46%) said they thought levels of violence and assaults at their shops and stores had increased during the pandemic. However, 42% thought levels had remained the same and just over one in 10 (12%) thought violence had gone down.

Of businesses that had experienced violent crimes, almost nine in 10 reported verbal abuse (89%), while one in 10 said staff had been physically attacked and suffered injuries as a result.

Jeff Moody, commercial director of Bira (the British Independent Retailers Association) said retailers were becoming increasingly concerned about the “lack” of a “police response to retail theft”. He said it left independent retailers “feeling threatened both physically and financially”.

Mr Moody said: “Shop theft is a constant issue for the smaller independent retailers. Retailers often work with low-profit margins and there is a fine line between success and failure. Loss of stock through theft in a small shop can be the difference between making profit that day or not.”

Just 6% of retailers and wholesalers had suffered from fraud when asked in 2021, down from 10% before the pandemic, which is in line with the overall fall in fraud against businesses that has been reported by UK Finance and Cifas (Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System).

Another 9% of businesses had suffered vandalism and 7% reported a robbery or attempted robbery.

The most common impact of crime reported by businesses in the wholesale and retail sector was financial loss (68%), stolen goods and services (60%), and additional staff time needed to deal with incidents (46%).

More than a quarter of businesses in the retail and wholesale sector (27%) said they installed crime prevention measures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.