Policing Retail Crime Action Plan shows early impact
National Police Chiefs' Council
The NPCC enables independent chief constables and their forces to work together to improve policing for the public.
A plan commissioned by the Policing Minister and developed by policing in partnership with Government to drive down retail crime is already showing positive results.
The Retail Crime Action Plan, which set out policing’s commitment to tackling shoplifting and prioritising attendance where violence was involved or a shoplifter was detained, was launched in October 2023.
Operational implementation of the plan has shown significant impact from a dip sample of 31 police forces carried out in December 2023.
Of over 1,500 crimes reviewed across all retailers, police attended 60 per cent where violence had been used, with 16 per cent of forces sampled reporting 100 per cent attendance to this type of incident.
Police attendance for a detained shoplifter was 76 per cent with 21 per cent of forces again showing 100 per cent attendance.
A number of factors impact attendance in both types of incident. This includes whether an offender has left the scene or been let go before police were called, how soon after the incident it is reported, whether a retailer may not support a prosecution, or when officers are dealing with or are diverted to an urgent incident elsewhere.
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Chief Superintendent Alex Goss, is NPCC lead for retail crime. He said:
“Retail crime can have a significant impact on victims, which is why we are committed to doing all we can to reduce thefts and pursue offenders, especially those prolific and habitual offenders who cause misery within the community.
Paul Gerrard , Co-op Director of Campaign and Public Affairs, added:
“We welcomed the launch of the Retail Crime Action Plan – the safety and security of my colleagues and, our communities, is our number one priority – and, our own experience? shows early signs of advancement in police response rates since its introduction.
Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said:
“Shoplifting has a detrimental impact not only businesses and high streets, but retail workers themselves who can be subject to unacceptable intimidation and violence.
???????? oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. You can always rely on the police SMT to pluck some statistics out of thin air to sort an issue out. Note - Also works for robberies and burglaries...
Professor of Criminology at City, University of London Host of Retail Crime Uncovered podcast Sekura Global
9 个月It’s great news that the dip sampling data is appearing to show progress but that’s not a robust or sustainable means of measuring action. The Action Plan would benefit from more measurable and concrete indicators that can be benchmarked and tracked over time. But it’s also important to recognise it’s not just about the police, it’s the CPS, the courts, probation, and rehabilitation services that need to be better aligned and resourced to tackle acquisitive crime.
District Loss Prevention Manager (UK North) URBN (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie Group and Free People)
9 个月Oh dear… who else was present other than Paul Gerrard? Certainly NOT my experience since October 23! Even as recently as last week a Store Manager attempted to request support from two ARV officers PARKED OUTSIDE THE STORE and he was advised to report on the ‘chat group’. Maybe they haven’t of heard of the Retail Crime Action Plan?
Senior Practice lead at The Centre for Justice Innovation and Senior Drug Policy, Awareness and Prevention Consultant, Accredited Addiction Professional. ISSUP & PTACC UK lead. Trustee Landworks, Transform, Nelson Trust
9 个月I’m just re sharing a post from a few months ago, with the same important message regarding acquisitive crime - We need to think differently about acquisitive crime and addiction Approx 45% of acquisitive crime is attributed to drugs. However, policing, prison and punishment is not the answer, it never has been. Public health can help reduce these statistics far more dramatically than any state of the art cctv system at a fraction of the cost. Business development forums need to include health commissioners and jointly fund new initiatives. Community safety and combating drugs partnerships need to include the business community and invest differently than before. Heroin or diamorphine assisted treatment, when used with a range of other treatment options is proven to reduce crime by upto 78% in 6 months.. as seen in the UK RIOTT trial led by the pioneering Prof Sir John Strang KCL - https://lnkd.in/evZu5f34 And more recently Cleveland’s successful pilot led by Danny Ahmed - https://lnkd.in/ed72dYR9 which reduced crime from 800 offences down to 10, in just 3 months. #drugs #heroin #crime #shoplifting