M&S-Chef warnt eindringlich vor zunehmender Kriminalität

Full letter from the M&S website:

>Retail crime chips away confidence in our High Streets

>By Thinus Keeve, M&S Retail Director

>I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London – something none of us believe and very few people working in retail would see. In fact, we see the absolute opposite in our High Streets and in our stores, where our colleagues are on the receiving end of abuse and violence in their workplace every day.

>It is becoming more brazen, more organised and more aggressive.

>Across the UK, there were around 5.5 million incidents of shoplifting last year, and that excludes the vast number that go unreported. Every day, more than 1,600 retail workers face violence or abuse. This is not isolated. It is systemic and it is getting worse, not better.

>And behind every statistic is a colleague who is simply trying to do their job and serve their customers.

>As Retail Director at M&S, I see this reality every day. I see the hurt and listen to the concerns of colleagues and customers after an attack in a shop. 

>In the past week alone we have had gangs forcing open locked cabinets and stripping shelves, two men brazenly emptying the shelves of steak and walking out, a large group of young people ransacking a store before assaulting a security guard, a colleague headbutted trying to defuse a situation and another hospitalised after having ammonia thrown in their face.

>It is worse in London, but it is happening across the country, and it is becoming routine, because it seems there are no consequences.
Our colleagues come to work to serve customers, build relationships and take pride in what they do. Instead, too many are dealing with theft, intimidation and verbal and physical abuse as part of their daily reality. That erodes confidence. It impacts wellbeing and it drives people out of the industry.

>And that matters beyond retail.

>Retail is where many people in the UK start their working lives. It is where confidence is built, skills are learned and careers begin. When stores become unsafe, we are not just failing retail workers. We are failing the next generation of the workforce.

>The industry is not standing still. Retailers have invested billions in security, technology and loss prevention. At M&S we’ve invested more in the last year than ever before – tens of millions to protect our stores, our stock and most importantly our people, using tools like ‘Auror’, a crime fighting partnership which helps us identify repeat offenders and work more effectively with police forces.

>But investment alone is not enough and the level of crime we face in so many communities is not something retailers can solve alone. We put in cameras, guards and systems, but it does not stop colleagues being abused or stores being damaged.

>Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a Mayor that prioritises effective policing we are powerless. We need a stronger, faster and more consistent police response, using tools that already exist to target repeat offenders and crime hotspots.

>And we need far greater transparency on crime so the true scale and impact is understood and can be used to target resources.

>That’s why our Chief Executive, Stuart Machin, has written to the Home Secretary and I’ve written to the Mayor of London, calling for exactly this. 

>It’s a clear ask: Support our police. Help them show up in our communities when and where we need them. Give them the resources they need to tackle crime effectively and ensure they work with retailers to consistently use the tools we’ve developed to share data and help them actively target offenders.

>This is not complicated. The capability exists. The data exists. The investment has been made. Time is up, we need to deal with this now.

>Because every day this continues, colleagues are being verbally abused, threatened or worse. Every day, confidence in our high streets is being chipped away and this has to stop.

>Retail is a cornerstone of the UK economy and a vital part of every community. But more than that, it is a human business. It depends on people feeling safe coming to work and safe walking into stores.

>Right now, that is under threat, more than I have ever seen in decades of working in retail around the world.

>We need to recognise this for what it is. A systemic issue. A growing issue. And one that demands a co-ordinated response across government, policing and industry.

>Our colleagues deserve better.

[https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/newsroom/blog/retail-crime-chips-away-confidence-our-high-streets](https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/newsroom/blog/retail-crime-chips-away-confidence-our-high-streets)

I suspect it might help if a law was passed that allowed security guards to take more aggressive measures in pursuit of these guys. Yeah sure it can be abused, all power can, but I know the local crackheads in my city, and they know that noone can do a thing to stop them, and they love it.

You can’t put a plaster on a gaping wound, we need to treat the root causes – poverty, substance abuse, education, social media, mental health

For me irs a combination of two problems. First is there really isn’t any harsh consequences. And second is poverty. It’s so hard to make money in the UK salaries for even good jobs are insanely low

Sp they are going to donate all their profits half to the police and half to compare poverty ?

My Aunt owns an off license and shes constantly complaining about shoplifting getting worse and worse. Even the elderly will steal shit

In one shop it the same 7 faces every day, they know who they are and the only thing they can do is call the cops.
Some are violent if they are stopped other know they are taken to the cop shop and bailed within the day and walk back to the shop to steal more.
It’s usually steak, booze or clothes. They will walk out with our with jackets stuffed or even a basket they don’t care who sees.
It’s drugs or habitual stealing and they know nothing will be done, their not scared as there’s no deterrent, it’s constant every single day