Shop theft figures rise as credit crunch bites

Friday, 16 January 2009
Shoplifting offences have increased since the onset of the credit crunch, police crime figures suggest.

Research by Independent Retail News has found retail crime in London up by 15% in the second half of last year.

Between July and November 2008 there were 16,468 shoplifting offences in London, compared with 14,323 for the same period the year before, according to the Metropolitan Police.

On Merseyside, the figure rose from 4,182 between July and December 2007 to 4,391 last year - an increase of 5%, while in Derbyshire, offences jumped by 43% from 1,459 between July and December 2007 to 2,092 in 2008. And in North Wales, shoplifting has risen by 10%.

Shane Brennan, Association of Convenience Stores public affairs director, said the organisation was "very worried" by the trend. He added: "The key issue is that police are taking this seriously."

British Retail Consortium head of retail crime Catherine Bowen said: "With the downturn getting worse we expect retail crime to increase significantly."
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