Silent Crime: Co-op reveals that cost of shoplifting rises by nearly one fifth in first half of 2024

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The Co-operative Group has revealed the extent of the rising cost of shoplifting in its food stores, saying that it has surged by nearly one fifth in just one year.

Already this year, £39.5 million worth of products have been taken from the shelves of Co-op food stores in the first half of 2024, with the member-owned company spending £18m so far this year to introduce anti-theft measures in a bid to protect its workers, including body-worn cameras and reinforced till points.

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Speaking to the PA News Agency, Matt Hood, managing director of Co-op Food, said: “It isn’t going away. The reality is that every day four of our colleagues are attacked, up 34% on 2022, and scarily a further 115 of my colleagues will be seriously abused, up 37% on two years ago. The investments we are making are working – our colleagues feel safer and we’re making them safer.”

The government is set to change the law to make shoplifting a separate offence which, while welcomed by bosses, has been urged to be introduced “as soon as possible” by chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq.

As previously reported, petty crime such as shoplifting has risen in the past year by 30%, according to the Office for National Statistic annual crime report. The number of reported offence is now at the highest level for four decades.

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The issue of shoplifting has been raised by NationalWorld’s new campaign ‘Silent Crime’, which focuses on unresolved and under-reported crime which are continuing to blight communities. As part of the series, we want to hear from you about your experiences with crimes, whether it be shoplifting, anti-social behaviour or others which are under-reported. To tell us your story click here.