07/01/2010 - Action urged as shoplifting soars
Retailers have urged police to come up with measures to tackle shoplifting incidences, after a report revealed that the crime increased by a third during 2009.
According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), there were 3,902 thefts by customers per 100 outlets in 2009, up from 2,914 recorded the previous year. The statistics show that there were 498,405 thefts during the year, which suggests that almost one store crime was reported every minute, costing businesses £1.1 billion.
However, officials believe the true figure to be far higher as many crimes are not reported. A rise in violence and verbal abuse by customers has also been recorded , with at least 22,000 staff nationwide being targeted.
Stephen Robertson, of the BRC, accused police of not taking store crime seriously enough and added that many shop owners do not report crime as they do not have confidence in police.
Mr Robertson said: "It's shocking that a shop theft happens almost every minute, 24 hours a day. We need tougher sentencing to deter thieves and more consistent use of fixed penalty notices between police forces."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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