The number of retail crime cases solved has almost doubled, according to data released today (21 October), following a crime reporting trial between Co-op and Devon and Cornwall Police.
Meanwhile, the Group says its own retail crime levels are falling – with the retailer expected to see its lowest levels since the pandemic.
In today’s announcement, the Group says the technology partnership “delivers significantly faster justice for offences carried out”, with data from Devon & Cornwall Police showing crimes reported through the SentrySIS platform achieving a solve rate of almost 60%. This is nearly double the force’s average solve rate for retail crime, compared to retail crime being reported by those using traditional channels.
Devon & Cornwall Police figures also show that 90% per cent of identified store thieves are repeat offenders, with just 50 individuals responsible for around a quarter of all shop theft offences in the force’s area, often with more than 100 known offences each.
This, says the Group, highlights the benefits of early intervention to prevent further offences.
It adds that new system enables stronger intelligence sharing, improved tracking of repeat offenders and closer collaboration with police at local and central level.
Store colleagues upload incident details, CCTV, photos and impact statement enabling police to record and allocate the crime in as little 30 minutes – a process that could take police up to seven days.
The system also removes the need for investigating officers to then approach the retailer for evidence, the Group adds, saving time for retailers and resulting in the average time taken for investigations to be completed and assigned an outcome being slashed by more than a third to just 35 days.
The success of the pilot has seen SentrySIS – which links to the Group’s wider partnership working with UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) – activated across all Co-op stores in Devon and Cornwall, with discussions under way with additional police forces.
Falling crime figures at Group stores
Overall retail crime at the Group is down almost 20% year-on-year, the retailer says, with incidents of anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse reducing by more than a third (35%), along with a double-digit drop in physical assaults.
While welcoming the figures, the Group says it remains “cautiously optimistic”, with retail crime levels still double those seen pre-pandemic after the shop crime surge at the start of the decade. Continued co-operation amongst retailers, police and government is needed to bring about meaningful, sustained and lasting change to tackling retail crime, and its underlying causes.
“The reduction in retail crime at Co-op is very welcome,” said Paul Gerrard, director for campaigns, public affairs and policy at the Group, “but these are green shoots with crime levels remaining higher than before the pandemic.
“The success of this initiative demonstrates the benefits that we know can be realised when retailers and police work together. We have seen that offenders can be identified and investigations can progress much faster and, importantly for everyone, outcomes improve significantly.
“The fact that such a high proportion of crimes are carried out by repeat and prolific offenders highlights why early intervention is so important – every successful investigation has the potential to prevent many future offences from blighting our high streets and local communities.”
Chris Chaloner, business crime sergeant at Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “The results from this pilot have been extremely impressive. The evidence provided through the platform is available to officers immediately, allowing investigations to progress much more quickly.
“Crucially, this approach helps us to link crimes and identify and target those prolific offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail crime. We know that a relatively small number of individuals commit a large volume of offences. By working closely with retailers, building effective partnership and receiving high-quality evidence we can take earlier action, secure more charges and achieve better outcomes for our high streets and communities.”
Policing minister Sarah Jones said: “Collaboration between the retail industry, police and government is exactly what I want to see as chair of the Retail Crime Forum. This pilot is a great example of what can be achieved when working together to tackle crime.
“Shop theft is falling across the country, and more criminals are being charged. This is good progress, but we will go further, restoring neighbourhood policing, with thousands more officers already in our communities.
“We are also changing the law to make it clearer that there will be consequences for shop theft of any value and bringing in a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.”
Alastair Woodburn, a Co-op Group store manager in Exeter, said: “The system has fundamentally changed the way we report crime. Our store was one of the first to adopt it. It is quicker to use and gives us confidence that the information police officers need is available to them immediately – and the outcomes are fantastic. Retail crime can be challenging on the frontline, but it is a rewarding job too.
“The majority of people rely on and value a local community shop, unfortunately it is just a small number of offenders carrying out most of the crime. This process Identifies and links offenders – building the full picture. Co-op has invested significantly in safety and security measures, and this latest measure sends a loud message to offenders, it clearly shows just how effective it can be when retailers and police work together to tackle the prolific offenders that do so much harm in communities.”
Co-op News has asked the independent retail societies for updates on their crime figures, for a wider snapshot of the movement.
