Co-op has warned there is a long way to go to tackle retail crime as the supermarket has reported more than 300,000 incidents so far this year.
Although it welcomed the ambition of the government’s new Retail Crime Action Plan, Co-op Food managing director Matt Hood insisted it needed to “see it in action” across its stores.
The news comes as retail crime has reached record levels, with the supermarket’s latest data showing of the almost 3,000 occasions this year where specialist teams detained serious offenders, police didn’t show-up 76% of the time.
The Retail Crime Action Plan sets out how police should respond to and investigate thefts against convenience stores and other retail businesses.
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Hood said: “We 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.
“It is a welcome and reassuring move, which should complement the £200m we’ve invested in colleague and store safety.
“But, 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”.
Co-op has seen almost 300,000 incidents of shoplifting, abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour this year.
However, it highlighted that where serious incidents were prioritised and clear co-operation with the police existed, retail crime was a solvable issue.
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