Described as the criminal action of stealing goods from a shop while pretending to be a customer. Figures released in 2010 showed that shoplifting costs more than £4.4 billion to shops in the UK over a year, a huge amount in lost revenues and replaced goods.
Impact
The impact isn’t just financial; staff can be affected by shop lifting. If employees are working when items are stolen, they may not feel safe in the future about working at the shop. It could also affect a loss of confidence in the business with shoppers. Shoplifting exposes a real lack of safety and security in store which then feeds into denting the confidence of shoppers.
Prevention
Shops may need to invest in security guards and increased security measures such as electronic tagging and CCTV to ensure that shoplifting is curbed. Many shopping areas have local safety partnerships which shops should look to join. Businesses should also learn to take crimes seriously; businesses can sometimes absorb losses to shoplifting and this means the crime isn’t seen as huge problem. But it should be.
Report it
Call your local Police on 101. However, in an emergency always use 999. 101 is the number to call if, for example:
- a vehicle has been stolen
- property has been damaged
- you’re giving information about other crime
The number can be used to report a non-emergency to any Police Force in Wales. Calls to 101 from landlines and mobile networks cost 15p per call, no matter what time of day you call or how long you are on the phone.
In an emergency, always dial 999. This is when immediate action is required, such as:
- a crime is in progress
- someone suspected of a crime is near by
- someone’s life is at risk
- someone is injured
- there is violence being used or threatened