Shoplifting epidemic rockets to 17,000 thefts a day
Britain's shoplifting epidemic has surged to a record high as crime rates at corner shops rose to hit almost 17,000 incidents a day.
Shoplifting incidents cost corner shops £316m last year, according to the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), with 6.2m thefts recorded, up from 5.6m the prior year.
Stores also faced more than 59,000 incidents of violence and 1.2m incidents of verbal abuse.
James Lowman, the ACS chief executive, said: 'The levels of theft, abuse and violence experienced by retailers over the last year makes for shocking reading, but it will not surprise our members who are living it on a daily basis.
'Criminals targeting local shops without fear of reproach cannot be allowed to continue.'
It comes as the Government prepares to clamp down on anti-social behaviour with its Crime and Policing Bill.
Under the Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, the Government is reversing the so-called shoplifters' charter which effectively decriminalised thefts of items worth less than £200.
It is also making it a standalone offence to assault a shop worker. The ACS said the legislation marked a 'long-overdue turning point on retail crime'.
The industry group's annual crime report revealed that 45pc of shop thieves were repeat offenders. It said the items which were most commonly stolen were alcohol, meat and confectionery.
Retailers have been spending heavily to try to keep a lid on crime rates. In total, convenience stores spent £265m on efforts to stop crime over the last year, including installing more CCTV, giving staff body cameras and putting perspex screens in place.
The ACS said store owners were increasingly realising that 'equipment deployed in stores is only as effective as the individuals operating it'. It said corner shops were spending more on training their staff how to use crime prevention equipment.
It comes amid a wider spending push across retailers to stop crime in stores.
Over the weekend, it emerged that supermarket giant Tesco was trialling new trolley scales to check people were paying for everything they had placed in their trolleys. Tesco said the technology was part of efforts to improve customers' shopping experience.
Other supermarkets have been investing in more high-tech checkouts to stem thefts. Co-op last year said it was adding artificial intelligence (AI) technology in its convenience stores to help monitor what customers were scanning through.
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