Latest news with #retailcrime
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Police launch review after controversial retail crime directive
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro Police have launched a review to establish how many cases of retail crime were filed while a controversial and now scrapped directive was in place. RNZ revealed last week a directive was recently sent to staff relating to police's File Management Centre (FMC) titled 'Assignment Changes - Theft and Fraud'. The directive said that from 26 March, the FMC was applying "nationally standardised value thresholds" when assessing theft and fraud files. The value thresholds were: General theft $200, petrol drive off $150, shoplifting $500, fraud (paywave, online, scam etc) $1000, and all other fraud $500. "When assessing files with these offences, you will apply the relevant value threshold and file any file under that threshold regardless of any lines of enquiry or IFA score," it said. The police instructions relating to Case Management define an IFA score as "a numeric value derived from a series of weighted factors which gives an indication of the solvability of the case, based on the presence or absence of certain key lines of enquiry". Police Commissioner Richard Chambers canned the directive , which he called "confusing and unhelpful" on Tuesday following significant backlash. On Friday, a police spokesperson confirmed to RNZ the national value threshold applied to the prioritisation of lower-level theft and fraud offences was being removed. "A review is being completed on any cases that may have been impacted by those thresholds to assess whether they should be assigned to districts for follow-up," the spokesperson said. The review will be done by police's data quality team. "Police want to reassure that cases will continue to be managed locally balancing demand, resources and priorities to ensure the best possible service to victims in those communities." The national value threshold applied to the prioritisation of lower-level theft and fraud offences was being removed. Photo: Andrey Popov Retail NZ advocacy manager Ann-Marie Johnson told RNZ earlier this week the organisation would "like assurance that no cases have slipped through the cracks due to any misunderstandings around the directive". Motor Trade Association (MTA) head of advocacy James McDowall told RNZ he welcomed the Commissioner's comments on Tuesday. "We are pleased to hear that police will be taking fuel theft seriously. If police want to conduct a review of the directive and any impact from it, we would be willing to take part and interested in the results," he said. "But why stop there? Why not go back over the last six or 12 months and see how many fuel thefts under $150 were investigated, not simply recorded." McDowall said members reporting that police did not take fuel theft seriously "goes back much further than March". "But we are heartened by the Commissioner's comments yesterday that police will do their 'absolute best for the retail community to hold offenders to account'. We are keen to meet and work with police to this end." Motor Trade Association (MTA) head of advocacy James McDowall. Photo: RNZ / Anneke Smith On Tuesday, Chambers told media at a press conference he was "very disappointed" when he learned of the memo talking about thresholds. "The content of that memo is inconsistent with my expectations as the Commissioner of Police," he said. On Tuesday afternoon, Chambers spoke with a number of leaders in the retail sector at a pre-planned meeting. "We sat down and we talked about what the opportunities are to work together in terms of addressing the problem of retail crime," he said. "My staff across the country work incredibly hard to address the problem of retail crime. We know that retail crime has been increasing over recent years, but so too have the number of prosecutions that police have laid addressing offenders." Chambers said police relied on the support of the retail community and members of the public to gather information and evidence that allowed police to hold offenders to account. "We won't always be able to be there, but we will do our absolute best for the retail community to hold offenders to account," he said. Chambers said he first became aware of the memo on the weekend, after RNZ revealed its existence. He read it for the first time on Monday night. "Having read the memo myself, some might think that we were giving license to those who choose to break the law. That's not the case," he said. "In fact, my appeal is for the retail community and the public to continue to help us to ensure that we gather information to hold people account that hasn't changed." Chambers said the staffer behind the directive "thought they were being helpful". "But actually, when we think about the processes that we have internally to address demand, we must also be thinking about the impact of those decisions externally. "Our role as law enforcement, we are working incredibly hard with the retail community, and the memo was inconsistent with my expectations. I have not spoken to the individual myself, but I think the Commissioner coming out and being very clear about my expectations is probably sufficient." Chambers described himself as an "understanding leader," but said he was "disappointed" the memo spoke to things "that are very inconsistent with my expectations when it comes to retail crime". He said he was "concerned" when he read the memo that it may "impact on trust and confidence in police". "So I'm here today making very clear, and I'm hoping reassuring, that my expectations have not changed." Victims and Resolutions executive director service Rachael Bambery sent an email to District Commanders on Tuesday. The email, supplied to RNZ by police, spoke about "public commentary about national consistent thresholds" for certain offences. "I want to reaffirm that our collective focus remains on the victims and retail crime… The Service, Victims, and Resolutions teams remain committed to supporting you and your districts-both in progressing files and in ensuring our victims are kept informed. "As outlined in the recent memo regarding the development of a consistent IFA approach, please remember this is not a hard and fast directive. To be clear, districts continue to retain the discretion to investigate based on local context, and local resources. Early case closure is not final-many files are reactivated as new information or patterns emerge." Bambery said victim feedback continued to highlight a common theme. "They want to know what's happening next. A consistent national approach will help us provide timely, meaningful updates to victims-something that builds trust and reinforces our commitment to service. "Encouragingly, recent prosecution data shows an increase in shoplifting charges being laid." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The brutal reality of Britain's shoplifting epidemic: Tearful charity shop owner reveals harrowing toll of daily struggle with thieves and violent customers who attack him
A charity shop owner has revealed he is verbally abused by customers 'at least twice a week'. Tone Jarvis-Mack, founder of The Fertility Foundation, says aggressive behaviour and shoplifting is 'out of control' across Britain's retail sector. And the 54-year-old believes charity shops are specifically targeted by criminals due to the belief 'we get stuff for free', even though every theft deprives good causes of crucial funds. Other charity shop owners have complained of a 'significant increase' in thefts and anti-social behaviour, while overall retail crime is surging - with a 20 per cent annual increase in shoplifting offences. Mr Jarvis-Mack has now decided to install a facial recognition system called Facewatch at his shop in Waltham Cross, Herts, in a bid to protect staff against thieves and customers who turn violent over minor issues, such as refund disputes. One particularly nasty incident, caught in CCTV and phone footage shared with MailOnline, saw a woman who had previously been barred from the store hit him and - in front of customers - outrageously claim he was a child abuser. The thug also threatened to smash the windows of the house Mr Jarvis-Mack shares with his partner and kill their dog before she was arrested by police and convicted of assault and public disorder. Sharing his story, the shop owner told MailOnline: 'We banned the woman because she was rude and threatened me. She didn't come back for years but one day she just walked in and started screaming abuse when I told her to leave. 'She accused me of being racist - although, like her, I am black - and then homophobic, but I'm gay so that didn't exactly work either! She was saying she knew where I lived and she'd get someone to smash my windows and kill my dog. 'This went on for a good hour when we phoned the police three times. We didn't say a word to her after the first exchange and let her rant. We have CCTV, but I also started recording on my phone so there was audio. 'At that point - as you can see in the footage - she lunged at me to try and grab my phone and caught my hand with her nails. About 10 minutes later the police turned up.' The incident happened in June 2023 but Mr Jarvis-Mack has decided to share his experience to raise awareness of retail crime. The woman, who was in her forties, was arrested, convicted of assault and handed a restraining order. The Fertility Foundation, which raises money to help fund IVF for people who cannot afford it, now uses Facewatch to recognise repeat offenders so they can be barred. Mr Jarvis-Mack says this had led to a reduction in shoplifting. 'The police were amazing - they couldn't have supported us any more really, we now have a restraining order against her too,' he said. 'The abuse I received was shocking and put me on anti-depressants for six months.' Sadly, his experience is far from unique. According to the Charity Shops Survey, branches across the UK have reported rising levels of shoplifting, verbal abuse, and anti-social behaviour. One, Tenovus Cancer Care, reported a 'significant increase' in thefts, describing offenders as acting 'more brazenly, while Longfield Community Hospice issued banning letters to repeat offenders and began issuing personal alarms to staff. Separately, Guild Care, which operates 15 stores in Sussex, closed most of its changing rooms due to 'rampant shoplifting and anti-social behaviour'. The charity noted a marked increase in such incidents since the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial crisis. Overall retail crime is surging across the UK. In 2024, England and Wales recorded 516,971 shoplifting offences - a 20 per cent increase year-on-year. The man is seen calmly walking out past customers during the middle of the day The British Retail Consortium estimates 20 million theft incidents occurred last year, costing the sector £2.2 billion, with much of the increase linked to organised gangs. Nick Fisher, CEO of Facewatch, said: 'Sadly, no part of the UK retail industry is untouched by criminal activity today including our nation's much-loved charity shops, which do so much to support vital causes. 'Through our Take Back Control campaign, we want to shine a spotlight on the real experiences retail workers face daily while on the shop floor. 'Behind the almost daily headlines and statistics - like the 20 per cent year-on-year rise in shoplifting, or the 1,000-plus incidents of violence and abuse suffered by shop workers every day - are real people simply trying to do their jobs. 'As we share their stories, we're also showing how live, accurate facial recognition systems can help protect them. 'From corner shops to charity stores to large retail businesses, Facewatch enables stores to take back control by significantly reducing crime and making stores safer for retail employees.' In another example of retailers investing in technology to deter shoplifters, Tesco has now followed its rivals to begin installing AI detectors at self-checkouts. A bird's-eye-view camera above each of the tills records the shoppers scanning and packing their items. The camera uses AI to detect when something has not been scanned correctly. In a video shared to Instagram that has amassed close to three million views, a shopper shows how the new software works. The man is seen correctly scanning a tin of tuna, but then just moving a bottle of milk over the scanner and into the bagging area to make it look like he has. The till then showed the shoppers an instant replay of himself failing to scan the products. Any aspiring robbers will see the message: 'The last item wasn't scanned properly. Remove from the bagging area and try again.' The new feature has been likened to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) - the system used by officials to replay incidents in football matches and review potential errors. One user commented below the viral video: 'The security guy watching VAR with you somewhere.' Hertfordshire Police confirmed the woman had admitted assault by beating and two counts of using threatening behaviour that caused alarm or distress. She was fined a total of £260 and was given a restraining order.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Retailers relieved at police commissioner's clarification on when to investigate crimes
Retail crime group chair Sunny Kaushal. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The head of the government's retail crime advisory group is relieved police commissioner Richard Chambers has scrapped a controversial directive on shoplifting. A internal police memo obtained by RNZ told staff not to investigate crimes under a certain dollar value , prompting outrage from the retail sector before the directive was publicly scrapped on Tuesday. It included shoplifting under $500 , petrol drive-offs under $150 and online fraud under $1000. Retail crime group chair Sunny Kaushal said the clarity was very reassuring for victims around the country. "The clear comments from the police commissioner show police's commitment to responding to retail crime," he said. "And the clarity he provided on the thresholds for investigating shoplifting offences will greatly reassure victims of retail crime across the country." He said the confusion caused by the memo should not overshadow the great work of many police officers, particularly in Tauranga and Gisborne where Kaushal felt the response to retail crime was particularly strong. "There are pockets of outstanding practice across the country ... So the work that those police forces are doing should not be discounted by the confusion created by this directive," he said. But Kaushal was surprised to learn Chambers had not been made aware of the memo until its contents were published by RNZ. "That was a bit surprising, and I also understand the police commissioner is still new and he's still trying to settle [in]," he said. "This directive came like a bolt out of the blue, and the retailers I had been talking to were seriously concerned. I was getting so many calls." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Shoppers Want To Feel Safer In Stores—And They Think Tech Can Help
Bailey Quintrell is the Chief Strategy Officer at Flock Safety, a technology platform keeping cities, businesses and neighborhoods safe. getty In my role, I have found that our business often acts as the intermediary between law enforcement/security, whose goals are entirely focused on the safety of their residents and customers, and business leaders, who also want to ensure a positive customer experience and drive revenue. While these goals can be achieved in concert, a new national survey shows how some methods of allaying shopper safety concerns are much more effective than others. A recent Flock Safety survey on consumer shopping behavior found that around one-third of respondents saw shoplifting and organized retail crime as a serious issue. This perception of danger has impacted shopping behavior and consumer experience while also signaling the need for better security technology to prevent crime. In fact, almost half of survey respondents are likely to support the use of technology to combat shoplifting and organized retail crime. And as organized retail crime rings become more sophisticated, retailers will increasingly need to rely on technology to keep up with shoplifters and other offenders. Technology isn't just helpful in gaining evidence; it can also serve as a crime prevention tool. For example, license plate reader (LPR) technology can be used to build a virtual security perimeter around a retail store by sending real-time alerts whenever a potential threat enters a premises. Such threats include those with active warrants or past offenders with a history of stealing and/or causing damage. And by using AI, networked technology—for example, a connected ecosystem of LPR and video cameras—can identify and surface trends across multiple stores or vehicles that have been spotted near several reported thefts. Consumers already understand the value of this tech—just over half of survey respondents say that LPR technology prevents organized retail crime and shoplifting, while helping customers feel safe when shopping. Rising retail crime has made many consumers feel unsafe to the point where they're starting to bypass in-person shopping altogether. When considering concerns about shoplifting and organized crime, the majority of survey respondents preferred online shopping over in-person shopping. This sentiment is especially strong among respondents who have directly witnessed organized crime, further highlighting the need for security technology that also serves to make people feel safe and thwart potential offenders. One method that may do more harm than good in the eyes of retail business leaders is locking up merchandise. While it may seem effective in stopping shoplifting, the reality is that locked merchandise can hamper a consumer's shopping experience by causing them to wait for long periods to access their merchandise. In fact, 50% of survey respondents waited more than five minutes to access the goods they wanted. Making customers wait for long periods can also cause them to buy less than what they previously planned to purchase, as survey results show that respondents who didn't buy everything they wanted were more likely to wait longer than those who successfully made all their purchases. On the other hand, most survey respondents believe that video cameras are effective at preventing retail crime—and even just the awareness of video camera use also increased the perception of their effectiveness. This is huge for retailers hoping to improve the shopping experience and make consumers feel more comfortable shopping in their stores. With this in mind, security technologies such as LPR technology and security cameras can be good investments for retailers looking to strengthen their security to dissuade retail crime and stop shoplifting—without hurting their shopping experience for retail customers. To maximize the effectiveness of LPR and video cameras, the placement of the technology is key. For LPR technology, installing devices at ingress and egress points—such as parking lot entrances or loading docks—offers the best opportunity to record the vehicle information linked to criminal activity. Businesses should be conscious of deploying technology aligned to their specific security challenges. For example, placing too many cameras without clear sight lines to security personnel, or installing LPRs in areas with low traffic, will limit the technology's effectiveness. Businesses should conduct a thorough risk assessment, alongside a technology expert, to determine a focused deployment plan. Finally, effective use of security technology isn't just about placement—it's also about integration and response. Businesses that integrate their cameras to a centralized system, ensure real-time alerting, and keep their technology up to date see far better outcomes. Proactive maintenance, combined with clear policies around responding to alerts and analyzing crime trend data, ensures technology serves as a true force multiplier for retail safety. As retail crime offenders become more sophisticated and advanced in their techniques and methods, retailers can use security technology to combat retail crime without negatively affecting their customers' shopping experience. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Police Commissioner on controversial shoplifting directive
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers speaks to media on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro The police commissioner has told media a controversial shoplifting directive is "inconsistent with his expectations". The directive told officers not to investigate allegations of shoplifting below $500, while petrol drive offs below $150 and online scams under $1000 also not be investigated. Speaking at a media conference this afternoon, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said he had "a lot of trust and confidence" in his staff. But he said they would not always get it right. "I was disappointed that the memo was inconsistent with my expectations when it comes to retail crime." Chambers said he was worried that the memo could undermine the trust and confidence in police. Chambers earlier called the memo confusing and unhelpful, but has not said if he will reverse the directive. It has drawn concerns from business and advocates, including the Sensible Sentencing Trust, who described reports of the directive as disturbing. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said says he expects police to tackle crime everywhere, and that the memo got it wrong and was not appropriate. Hamilton dairy owner Manish Thakkar said the police directive gave shoplifters a free pass. "We are giving liberty to the criminals, 'come and steal up to $500, you are free to go', so that is wrong," he said. He said all offenders should be treated equally. "Whether it is 500 or a thousand [dollars], their intention is to steal from the property, so all criminals should be taken equally, and the should be punishable, they are punishable." Thakkar said crime - even crime that was perceived to be on a small -scale - had a financial impact on business owners and their emotional state. "If a shop keeper, retailer, is fearless, he can happily enjoy his business and he can happily think about his prosperity, what next I can do for my future growth," he said. "Right now, that [...] has been wiped out." Do you know more? Email Liquor shop owner Ash Parmar said retailers needed confidence that reported crimes are being followed up. "They just need to do a much more better demonstration of giving retailers confidence," he said. "I'm aware of countless examples where high levels of thefts have happened, and the follow up has been very less than ideal, especially when so much footage has been uploaded." He was asking questions about whether the current 105 method for reporting was up to scratch. In Wellington, Ngaio GAS petrol worker Julian - who did not want his surname published - said the rule change was quite unfair, as most drive-offs were under the new $150 threshold. He was worried about busier stores. "We are community based, we are not on the main road, so we kind of carry a lower risk," he said. "However, for those petrol stations located on the main road they will be targeted again, there will be so much petrol drive offs with this." Police Director of Service Superintendant Blair McDonald confirmed on Monday there would be a financial threshold for investigating crimes - saying they must prioritise what resources they have. But the police commissioner released a statement saying retail crime is a top priority. He said he'd asked all district commanders to continue to catch offenders wherever possible, regardless of the memo's thresholds. Speaking in Auckland on Tuesday, Luxon said he welcomed the commissioner's statement this morning. "We're a party of law and order, we expect our police to tackle crime everywhere, and that's good to see him clarify that this morning. "We want our police helping New Zealanders, protecting and serving us, and hunting down crime in all sorts and all types." But there were those who needed convincing. The Sensible Sentencing Trust called reports of the directive "disturbing". Spokesperson Louise Parsons condemned the move, saying it sent the wrong message. "The past five or six years, retailers have been hit with an onslaught of crime, and now they're being told that crimes under certain thresholds are essentially not worth investigating," she said. "This is a green light to criminals." The directive flew in the face of work already done by the Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime, Parsons said. "If we let this stand, it could undo all the progress we've worked so hard to achieve." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
