January 26,1996. Copyright, 1996, Graphic News. All rights reserved

RETAILERS COUNT THE COST OF CRIME
By Nicholas Booth

LONDON, January 26, Graphic News- The cost of crime to UK shopkeepers is falling, according to the latest annual survey from the British Retail Consortium, released this week. With an annual turnover of £81 billion, retailers trading through 53,000 outlets in the United Kingdom have reported a 28 per cent decrease in the cost of crimes committed against them. 

The overall reduction in crime costs has been brought about thanks to expenditure of £525 million for preventative measures. The IRA ceasefire has saved £220 million for UK shops and stores but retail outlets were nevertheless targets for more than 3,000 incidents of terrorism, mainly from animal rights activists. Other indices reflect the steady increase in crime elsewhere in society: thefts were on the increase, as were till snatches and threats of violence to staff members. Fraud losses amounted to some £22 million in 1994/95.

Source: British Retail Consortium