Speeches and Statements
Tackling Retail Crime
Speech by Vernon Coaker, Home Office minister, to Retail Week’s ‘Tackling Retail Crime’ conference on 5 March 2008.
I would like to begin by thanking Retail Week for inviting me to speak at this year’s ‘Tackling Retail Crime’ conference.
I have heard it said that the Government does not take crime against the retail sector very seriously.
But let me assure you that I – and the Home Office - are committed to working with our retail partners to ensure that we find effective solutions and responses to retail crime.
As Minister in the Home Office with responsibility for crime reduction, I fully support Retail Week’s statement that retail crime is a challenge that should be taken seriously.
I would add to this by saying that retail crime should be taken seriously by everyone because it affects us all, from boardroom - to shop worker - to high street shopper.
Shops and stores are at the heart of most of our communities and crime against those outlets affects us all.
The real challenge is how we work together to address the problem of retail crime effectively.
There continues to be talk about the need for a single definition of business crime. What I believe is important is to have a full and accurate picture of the different crimes committed against business. Some of these are already recorded in crime statistics but are often grouped together with other, unrelated, crimes.
Crimes such as robbery of business property and theft from a shop are already counted separately in recorded crime statistics and we shall continue our efforts to increase the range of these.
Collection of information on commercial burglaries will begin next month and we shall be looking to see what more we can do.
It’s worth remembering that overall, crime has decreased by a third in the last ten years but that certainly does not mean it’s now at an acceptable level.
We must continue to tackle the scourge of crime whether it’s the illegal use of guns and knives, shop theft or alcohol-related crime which is the cause of misery to some communities.
The losses and damage caused to morale and business confidence should not be underestimated and the abuse of shop workers should never be tolerated as an occupational hazard.
I am delighted to be able to support Usdaw’s valuable Freedom from Fear campaign which I understand will be re-launched very soon.
It is also my great pleasure to be the chair of the recently established National Retail Crime Steering Group where I can hear directly from retailers and retail organisations of their concerns’ about the crime issues. I look forward to the Group continuing to drive forward the agenda on retail crime..
At the second meeting of the Group last week there were discussions covering a wide range of crime issues including Penalty Notices for Disorder for shop theft which I know concerns many of you. At last weeks meeting we heard about a review which the Association of Chief Police Officers have recently undertaken into the use of PNDs for shop theft in some of the Midlands Police Forces
The conclusion reached was that the use of PNDs for shop theft was generally appropriate but there were some concerns about how robustly the system was managed. I think what’s important here is that the retailers concerned are in full agreement that a PND is appropriate wherever they are used.
It’s also important that we tighten up the guidance to Forces so that they are clear about exactly when this penalty should be used in cases of shop theft. Our colleagues in the Ministry of Justice have consulted with members of the Steering Group about the terms of revised guidance and hope to issue this to Forces shortly.
Partnerships
Effective action is what we are all striving for and I would emphasise that co-operative action between businesses and the local community is one of the strongest crime prevention tools available today.
We need to ensure that businesses and crime reduction partnerships are able to work together and I believe there is one key area where we need to focus our efforts.
That is in ensuring that CDRPs understand the needs of businesses and how they operate, and also ensuring that businesses are aware of how crime reduction is delivered.
The aim then is to bring about effective communications between the two.
Collectively, we have a great deal of information about what works in tackling retail crime, and it is through working in partnership that we can make a real impact on this. It is also important that information on good practice is made available to all those who can benefit from it. Through the Steering Group, we are building up a reservoir of good practice examples of preventing and tackling crime in the retail sector. We shall publish these in due course.
It is very important that partnerships and stakeholders have the right ‘tools’ and knowledge to deal with crime effectively.
We do know that designing against crime can have a significant impact on crime reduction. As an example of this, we heard at the Steering Group meeting about an audit tool which Professor Gill’s Perpetuity Group has devised which large retailers can apply to their stores and significantly lower the opportunities for shop thieves to operate.
The Home Office has provided funding to the Group to develop this audit tool so that it can be used by small and medium sized convenience stores. This will be finalised in the next few months and we intend to make sure that it’s available free of charge to all those who can benefit from it
Neighbourhood policing/HMIC
Policing, of course, is crucial to the fight against crime and visible community policing is believed to be the most effective response to many crimes. By next month everyone in England & Wales will have access to a Neighbourhood Policing Team.
A key feature of Neighbourhood Policing is engaging effectively with local people and involving them in discussing and agreeing local policing priorities. One of the principles which should drive every police force’s approach to delivering the Neighbourhood Policing Programme is to ensure that it is locally led.
But developing local approaches to crime reduction doesn’t start and end with neighbourhood policing. What the Home Secretary and I want to see is a shift towards local delivery - of local priorities - in response to local need.
This can only be achieved in partnership with community safety service providers and communities themselves, including local businesses.
There is a great deal of good collaborative work already going on but there is still much more that needs to be done; that is the challenge for us all.
I look forward to continuing to work with the retail sector to tackle the crime issues which are of concern to us all and thank you again for the opportunity to speak at your retail crime conference. I hope you have a productive day.
