Co-Op warns of “no-go” areas

The Co-op has warned that soaring levels of retail crime will make some communities "no-go" areas for shops.

The Co-op said crime in its outlets had hit record levels, increasing by more than one third over the past year. There were about 1,000 cases of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in its shops every day in the six months to June, with police failing to attend most crimes.

The Co-op said a Freedom of Information request had shown many police forces did not prioritise retail crime. Over 70% of serious retail crime did not elicit a police response.

The National Police Chiefs' Council [NPCC] countered that forces were doing "everything possible to tackle offenders and support retailers in reducing shoplifting and attacks on retail staff".

But the Co-op called for an "urgent change" from the police and for all forces to target repeat and prolific offenders to reverse the existing environment in many cities where criminal gangs operate, exempt from consequences.

Co-op Food managing director Matt Hood said retail crime was driven by "repeat and prolific offenders and, organised criminal gangs". In the worst cases, he said it could even be described as "looting" and one of its stores in inner London was "looted" three times in one day.

The Co-op figures show 175,000 instances of retail crime in the first six months of this year - a rise of 35% on the same time last year.