A British Retail Consortium (BRC) survey last month found more than 90 per cent of retailers reported crime had risen over the last 12 months; more than four-fifths said the recession was the reason. Aurum Holdings, the company behind the retail jewellers Mappin & Webb, Goldsmiths and Watches of Switzerland, has deployed a smoke-screen system at more than 40 of its high-risk stores’ window displays. It fills the shop and its windows with a security fog within seconds of a break-in. Justin Stead, the chief executive of Aurum Holdings, believes its £200,000 investment in the Concept Smoke Screen has already paid off, given the minimal losses it has suffered in two incidents since the technology was installed.

The BRC says the total cost of retail crime, including costs for stolen goods, vandalism and measures from CCTV to security guards, is about £2bn a year. “It is significant in financial terms. There is very often abuse, violence and murder involved when retail staff intervene to try to prevent retail crime. That very real human aspect should not be forgotten,” says a spokesman.

Few subjects evoke such fury among retailers, and shoplifters are a massive bugbear. One senior boss at a major fashion retailer has spoken of chasing criminals down London’s Oxford Street to try to retrieve stolen stock, despite the fact they may have a knife or other weapon.

In fact, the recession has led to a step change in the type of shoplifting activities and those committing it. The BRC spokesman says: “In the past, most shoplifting has been driven by people stealing small and high-value items that they can sell, often to fund drug habits. During the recession, there is a bigger range of items being stolen, such as more mundane food-based thefts including cheese, chicken and frozen meat, which would appear to be things that people will use for themselves.”

Joshua Bamfield, a professor at the Centre for Retail Research, which publishes the Global Retail Theft Barometer each year, says the number of shoplifting incidents has increased by 10 percent over the past 12 months, adding that while the profile of the average shoplifter is unchanged, other social demographics have made an appearance.

“The average shoplifter is 14 to 25 years old, but there has been an increase in people who don’t fit the normal type of shoplifter. There has been an increase in middle class shoplifters, but the bigger picture is about more gangs and a lot more amateurs doing it,” says Mr Bamfield.

Another key factor behind the rise in retail crime is that some retailers have cut back on their security spending, says Professor Bamfield.

“The recession is one factor, but retailers have also cut back on security somewhat because most of them are less profitable than they were last year and they cannot afford to spend as much,” he said, adding that security guards are one of the first areas to be trimmed back.

The BRC says retail crime is a problem that has to be tackled by retailers, the police and local councils working together.

Source: Independent Image: Retail crime

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