Co-op shops hit by almost 1,000 crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour incidents every day
manchestereveningnews.co.ukCo-op shops are hit by almost 1,000 incidents of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour every day, the retailer has revealed.
The Manchester-headquartered company said there were more than 175,000 incidents in the first six months of 2023 up by more than a third over the last year.
One inner city London store was "looted" three times in a single day. The Co-op warned that this level of "out-of-control crime" is unsustainable and could see some communities become a no-go area for local stores. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. The retailer called on police forces and crime commissioners to target prolific offenders and local organised criminal gangs, with many said to operate without fear of being caught.
A Freedom of Information request by Co-op showed that police failed to respond in 71% of serious retail crimes reported. The Co-op also revealed that front-line store workers have seen physical assaults increase year-on-year by almost a third and, anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse by a fifth.
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