Although the costs of such crime have stabilised at GB pound 2.4 billion, that still represents around GB pound 100 per household. Far too high a figure for comfort. As the British Retail Consortium’s ‘9th Retail Crime Survey 2001’ shows, during the past five years retailers have spent no less than GB pound 2.7 billion in an attempt to tame the criminals, installing CCTV and alarm systems while investing in the latest tagging products.
Retailers, then, have determined to tackle what is a widespread and serious problem. The difficulty they face is that retail crime doesn’t stop at the shop door.
Those areas of criminal activity that affect retailers and their security departments most are the problems that eventually impinge on us all – youth criminality, drug-related crime and continual increases in violence and robbery. The retail sector is not immune to these and other forces at work in society at large. True, retailers can be a powerful engine for communal regeneration, but their vital role may be jeopardised if a given area is constantly blighted by crime.
The present Government has been at great pains to point out that crime reduction is, to quote Home Secretary David Blunkett, “everyone’s business”. If that is the case, it’s high time New Labour met business part-way, demonstrating a practical commitment to crime reduction. One that is not immediately apparent at present.
As a first step, the Government must ensure that it’s fully supportive of initiatives like the already-proven Community Crime Reduction Partnerships and the Safer Shopping Award, not to mention newer developments – the Business Information Crime System and the National Retail Crime Database among them.
Security Management Today is in total agreement with British Retail Consortium director general Bill Moyes, who firmly believes that Westminster’s support for the retail community must also encompass selective start-up funding.
Only then will the full range of business skills on offer be properly supported and encouraged.
The figures don’t lie. The retail industry has played its part in crime reduction, with tangible success. Now, it’s time for Members of Parliament to turn political spin into reality.
