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Co-op has warned there is a long way to go to tackle retail crime after the supermarket reported more than 300,000 incidents so far this year.<\/p>\n
Although it welcomed the ambition of the government\u2019s new Retail Crime Action Plan, Co-op Food managing director Matt Hood insisted it needed to \u201csee it in action\u201d across its stores.<\/p>\n
The news comes as retail crime has reached record levels, with the supermarket\u2019s latest data showing of the almost 3,000 occasions this year where specialist teams detained serious offenders, police didn\u2019t show-up 76% of the time.<\/p>\n
The Retail Crime Action Plan sets out how police should respond to and investigate thefts against convenience stores and other retail businesses.<\/p>\n
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free<\/strong><\/h5>\nSign up\u00a0here\u00a0to g<\/span>et the latest news straight into your inbox each morning<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nHood said: \u201cWe are pleased that the serious issue of retail crime, which impacts our communities so dramatically, has been acknowledged, and that police chiefs have committed to attend incidents where the offender is detained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a welcome and reassuring move, which should complement the \u00a3200m we\u2019ve invested in colleague and store safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, we very urgently need to see it in action in our stores, so the desperate calls to the police from my front line colleagues are responded to and the criminals start to realise there are real consequences to their actions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Co-op has seen almost 300,000 incidents of shoplifting, abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour this year.<\/p>\n
However, it highlighted that where serious incidents were prioritised and clear co-operation with the police existed, retail crime was a solvable issue.<\/p>\n
Hood said: \u201cWe are pleased that the serious issue of retail crime, which impacts our communities so dramatically, has been acknowledged, and that police chiefs have committed to attend incidents where the offender is detained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a welcome and reassuring move, which should complement the \u00a3200m we\u2019ve invested in colleague and store safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, we very urgently need to see it in action in our stores, so the desperate calls to the police from my front line colleagues are responded to and the criminals start to realise there are real consequences to their actions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Co-op has seen almost 300,000 incidents of shoplifting, abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour this year.<\/p>\n
However, it highlighted that where serious incidents were prioritised and clear co-operation with the police existed, retail crime was a solvable issue.<\/p>\n