Co-op Reports Record Levels of Retail Crime Amid Calls for Stronger Legislation

British retailer Co-op has reported record levels of crime last year, with police failing to attend 38 percent of incidents where a criminal had been detained. Co-op said it experienced a 44 percent year-on-year rise in shoplifting, abuse, violence, and anti-social behaviour, equating to around 1,000 incidents every day across its 2,400 stores. The rise in physical assaults against store workers saw three or four staff members attacked or assaulted every day, the retailer said. Prior to the introduction of the Retail Crime Action Plan in October 2023, police failed to attend in 79 percent of cases, even when the criminal had been detailed, Co-op said. Following the plan, police failed to attend in 38 percent of cases, which Co-op marked a sign in “green shoots of improvements.”...