Retail crime reaches record levels |
Retail crime in the UK has reached unprecedented levels, with over 2,000 daily incidents reported in the year to April 2024, a significant increase from 1,300 the previous year. The British Retail Consortium revealed that theft incidents soared to 20m, costing retailers £2.2bn, up £400m from 2023. Despite a £1.8bn investment in security measures, confidence in the response of police remains low, with 61% of retail workers rating it as poor. In 2023, police chiefs, retail bosses and ministers launched Project Pegasus to crack down on shoplifting. Alex Goss, an assistant chief constable at Merseyside police, and the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for retail crime, said: "Over the last year we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers, and greatly improving information-sharing which has resulted in a number of high-harm offenders being brought to justice." |
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