Local shops stamp down on crime

Published: 09 February, 2011

Retailers are taking effective measures to tackle crime in their stores, according to the Association of Convenience Stores' annual Crime Survey.

The poll of over 3,500 local shops reveals that instances of robberies, staff theft, burglaries and verbal abuse have all fallen over the last year.

However, the ACS warns that this has come at great cost to retailers who have had to invest significant amounts into their business to deter criminals.

Chief executive James Lowman said: "While we welcome the widespread reduction of instances of crime shown in the survey, the figures still reveal significant concerns for local shops.

"One alarming statistic is that the cost of each robbery has increased by 190% to £2,880, despite the number of instances falling by almost 60%. These numbers show that retailers must take extra precautions to protect their high value goods and cash in-store.

"The average cost of robberies also accounts for repairs to a store and shows that as convenience retailers improve their standards and crime prevention measures, bringing stores back up to that standard after they are damaged during a robbery is becoming more expensive."

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