British Retail Consortium (BRC) director general Bill Moyes has called upon the industry to back the establishment of an all-new national association of business crime partnerships with a view to tackling the blight of retail crime.
Speaking at a BRC Retail Crime Partnership Conference held in Birmingham, Moyes stressed that such an association is desperately needed to ensure that the "good work being carried out on a local basis is carried forward, and mirrored across the country".

Business crime cost the retail sector more than £2.4 billion in 2001 alone. "It doesn't stop at the shop door," added Moyes. "The areas of criminal activity that concern retailers most are the problems that affect everyone – youth crime, drug-related crimes and the disturbing increases we've seen in both violence and robbery" ('Grand theft retail', SMT, July 2002, pp32-34).

Moyes believes that a dedicated association of targeted crime partnerships "would send out a message that such organisations are a permanent element in successful business crime prevention".

Retail crime prevention in the UK is currently typified by around 230 retail crime partnerships. These operate in town and city centres and involve retailers working together with police, local authorities and community safety managers to manage crime more effectively.

Source

SMT