28 January 2010, 21:21 PM
  • Crime against retailers has rocketed during the recession, increasing more than 30% in 2009

Stealing by customers accounts for the biggest share of all retail crime, both by the number of incidents (94%) and by monetary value (42%), according to the BRC’s Retail Crime Survey.

The report also estimates that almost one third of all customer thefts go unreported.

“The increase in retail crime can’t be justified as a move from ‘greed’ to ‘need’. Whatever the motivation, shoplifting is never victimless or acceptable,” said Stephen Robertson, BRC director-general.

“We need tougher sentencing to deter thieves and more consistent use of fixed penalty notices between police forces,” he added.

A Derbyshire independent experienced the problem first hand recently.

“Someone threw a brick through our front window on New Year’s Eve and stole several bottles of Champagne. It’s been a massive inconvenience and the window is still boarded up while we wait for it to be fixed,” said Sarah Mitchell, co-owner of Praze Fine Foods in Glossop.

However, Ms Mitchell feels they still have loyal locals inside.

“People are happier to take from a faceless corporation than a small store. The incident in December was a one-off. Stealing isn’t something that has been a problem in the past as most of our customers are loyal regulars,” she explained.

“Generally, the kind of people that shop in our store aren’t the type to shoplift, and I think the same could be said for the majority of speciality food shops,” she concluded.