Local initiatives could be key to reduce shoplifting

NIGEL Farage claims that crime is out of control.

- Giuseppe Bignardi

This assertion, though, is largely contradicted by the official statistics of the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Crime against individuals and households has mostly decreased over the past 10 years and, in particular, theft, violence, criminal damage, robbery and homicide have all declined since 2005.

Sadly, there have been some exceptions. Sexual assaults have remained at about the same levels, whereas offences with knives and fraud have increased.

A limitation of the Crime Survey is that it does not cover crime against businesses, such as shoplifting. Thus, for shoplifting we need to use police-recorded crime, which is a less reliable indicator but points decidedly towards a significant increase.

The British Retailers Association is concerned and has emphasised that shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Shoplifting can lead to violence or abuse against staff, and the resulting stock losses, combined with higher security costs, may drive up prices for customers.

Certain localities experience higher rates of shoplifting, and Tyne and Wear appears to be the second worst-affected region.