Retail crime is plaguing shops across the UK, costing them billions in lost sales and tightening security measures.
In response, efforts are being stepped up to combat crime such as shoplifting, and now some of the UK’s biggest retail groups are pouring £600,000 ($750,000) into a new police project to tackle organized crime gangs Considered the core of the retail industry. Theft.
As part of the new effort, called Project Pegasus, police will scan images of shoplifters via CCTV cameras, while using facial recognition software to help identify criminals. era sunday report. Some of the participants in the project include John Lewis, Co-op, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Sheriff Chris Philp said other government efforts could be to create a national shoplifting database to track the crime. era explain. Philp told police there is a zero-tolerance policy for shoplifting.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katie Byrne said Project Pegasus would be a “game changer” as it would tackle the root causes of theft.
“This will be a game-changer for police because for the first time ever, police will have a comprehensive national picture of how these gangs are operating in different areas and they will have the data and intelligence to be able to take them down,” Byrne told local police forces. These gangs era.
Sainsbury’s confirms its involvement in Project Pegasus but directs wealth Please contact Bourne for more details. John Lewis also confirmed his involvement.
A spokesman for John Lewis Partnership said: “While there is no magic bullet in the fight against retail crime, we welcome this significant progress. Retail crime is not victimless and can have an impact on partners, customers and even prices.”
Tesco and Co-op did not immediately return wealthA request for comment was reached; neither did Philp and Byrne’s offices.
The cost of shoplifting
In recent years, the UK’s cost of living crisis and soaring food prices have made it harder for people to make ends meet, leading to many people go to resort Crime as a way of coping with harsh economic conditions.Supermarket chains face Price increased from their suppliers, the increased costs are then passed on to consumers. This puts them on the front lines of the growing retail theft problem.
This phenomenon has some industry executives worried.Stuart Rose, chairman of British retailer Asda, said telegraph Shoplifting was effectively “decriminalized” earlier this month due to a lack of resources and action to curb it.
Sharon White, chairman of John Lewis, recently spoke out about the “Robbery site” and calls for government intervention to revitalize them.
Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy also spoke last week about how crime in its stores was starting to threaten the safety of its staff. He noted an increase in verbal and physical attacks on store staff by customers and said the company had spent about 44 million pounds ($55.56 million) over four years to strengthen safety measures at Tesco.
The monetary impact of retail crime reflects the scale of the problem.
According to statistics, retail theft increased by 26% in the UK’s 10 largest cities in 2022 trade body British Retail Consortium. In some cities, this number jumped by 68%, indicating a sharp increase in shoplifting cases.This type of crime cost retailers dearly last year £1.76 billion ($2.22 billion)The BRC found hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales and millions more spent on preventive measures.
Creative ways to combat retail theft
With crime rising in places where ordinary Britons shop, retailers are trying to come up with unique ways to prevent shoplifting.
Last month, John Lewis and Waitrose stores said they would offer police officers free drinks and, in some cases, discounted food. The measure is designed to help John Lewis and Waitrose build relationships with local police by bringing them into stores, helping to reduce crime.
Waitrose has also tried “love bombing” customers, paying more attention to their needs, e.g. Self checkout counterto deter shoplifting.
In the meantime, the co-op said it will have plainclothes guards patrolling its stores to ensure shoplifters are caught and to prevent the same behavior in the future.
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