Having co-founded and chaired a retail business before entering politics, I was asked to chair the Conservative Retail Crime Commission. This was established in response to mounting concern from traders across the country that not enough was being done to address the scourge of shoplifting, so often seen as 'victimless', and increasing violence on shop staff.
The report distils numerous written and oral evidence submissions from retailers and their trade associations as well as from police, including West Mercia.
Thefts from shops are now at their highest level since 1997, having risen ten per cent in one year from 290,624 incidents in 2007/8 to 320,846 in 2008/9. Even more alarming, thefts with violence in shops rose by 11 per cent between 2007 and 2008.
The Commission found that retailers are at the centre of most flourishing neighbourhoods, providing jobs, vital on the door-step local services and aiding community cohesion. Retail crime has a corrosive effect on communities by supporting and maintaining drug dependence, alcohol misuse, anti-social behaviour and violence and reducing the economic viability of businesses.
The report makes a series of recommendations aimed at ending the culture of apathy surrounding retail crime by establishing community led retail crime strategies; empowering local people to hold police to account by mapping crime in local areas; encouraging police forces to collaborate on cross-border crime; tightening the existing sanctions regime and intervening early to deal with the underlying causes of crime and anti-social behaviour.
I welcome views from local retailers and others affected by retail crime on the report's proposals to see how they can help, if adopted by a future Conservative Government.
