Is shoplifting becoming socially acceptable!?!
From the desk of our Founder, Noel Verbruggen
Retailers suffer as the media appears to encourage theft…
Far left news organisation, Novara Media, has reported on shoplifting as “a necessary mechanism for resistance.”
According to their website, the organisation is “Driven to build a new media for a different politics, our journalism is always politically committed; rather than seeking to moderate between two sides of a debate…” So, theft is a necessary evil and to be encouraged!
Shoplifting has even become a TikTok trend, with videos of thieves being caught going viral…
One such video featuring a woman caught red-handed who was removing a sack of stolen clothing and shoes from under her skirt –soundtracked to Sam Smith’s “Unholy.” The video has been viewed more than 25 million times!
As police forces have increasingly prioritised “high-harm crimes” in England and Wales, prosecutions for shoplifting have plummeted. In 2014 prosecutions numbered more than 80,000. In 2022 that figure plummeted to just 21,000. Businesses, it seems, increasingly have to fend for themselves.
Some local initiatives have met with success, whilst simultaneously demonstrating the enormity of the rapidly growing problem…
For example, Newcastle’s Business Improvement District now employs “street rangers” trained in conflict management to intercept thieves. Once apprehended, the thieves are taken back to the shop they have stolen from, where the owner is asked if they would like to get the police involved. Last year, they returned £20M worth of stolen goods to retailers across the city – more than the loot from the 2015 Hatton Garden heist!
Against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis, some experts believe that a higher proportion of criminals are stealing through need rather than greed. However, retailers have always relied on the stigma of criminality to discourage casual offenders. And if shoplifting is now becoming socially acceptable, people will feel emboldened to “have a go.” Of course, cumulatively those offences are going to cost retailers dear. And high risk stock is particularly problematic.
My company is looking to play its part. We want to help retail partners meet these latest threats.
And so I am delighted that Intrepid has been awarded the exclusive rights to market and support the Indyme Freedom Case - a deterrent that has consistently shown itself, in both the USA and UK, to reduce theft of high risk stock to virtually zero.
At the same time as a rapid reduction in theft, organisations using the Freedom Case have seen significant uplifts in sales; simply because the stock is available for bona fide customers. And that uplift is currently trending as high as 25% and expected to climb, as other retailers increasingly become out of stock owing to crime.
The Freedom case is not for every retailer, but it might be for you. So please click on this link to a short video and see for yourself. Because doing nothing is not really going to be an option.
“My company is looking to play its part. We want to help retail partners meet these latest threats. ”