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Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative |
The Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative Limited (WRCI) is a County wide Partnership approach to prevent and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in retail and licensed business premises in Warwickshire with members in Leamington Spa, Warwick, Kenilworth, Stratford, Rugby, Atherstone, Nuneaton and Bedworth and villages in Warwickshire.
Our team is working to bring businesses together to work in partnership with the Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Warwickshire County Council, District Councils, CCTV, BIDS, the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships and other national and local organisations to tackle crime and disorder in our business communities. This ranges from shoplifting to violence in licensed premises.
Our team is working to bring businesses together to work in partnership with the Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Warwickshire County Council, District Councils, CCTV, BIDS, the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships and other national and local organisations to tackle crime and disorder in our business communities. This ranges from shoplifting to violence in licensed premises.
We welcome new members. Read more about the scheme here. Contact us for further information or complete an application form
Benefits of membership:
Benefits of membership:
- Use of the DISC App to submit reports and view offender images both known and unknown
- View individuals excluded from WRCI member premises
- WRCI stickers to identify a premises as a member
- Participation in the exclusion order scheme
- Services of the WRCI Administrators
- Over 500 members to share information with
- Access to offender profiles
- Receive alerts via the instant message facility on the DISC App
- A weekly newsletter containing links to the latest news, alerts, documents and upcoming events
- Improved partnership relationship with the Police, CCTV and local authorities
- Creating a safer environment for retail and licensing business, customers and the community
- Reduce offending in member premises
NEWS
30 January 2024: Shoplifting incidents up by nearly a third to highest level in 20 years
According to the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics, shop thefts in England and Wales were up by 32 per cent, with 402,482 offences announced in the year to September 2023. This compared with 304,459 in September 2022. The Federation of Independent Retailers says it is “alarmed” at new data which shows shoplifting is at its highest level in 20 years. Read more: Police Professional
According to the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics, shop thefts in England and Wales were up by 32 per cent, with 402,482 offences announced in the year to September 2023. This compared with 304,459 in September 2022. The Federation of Independent Retailers says it is “alarmed” at new data which shows shoplifting is at its highest level in 20 years. Read more: Police Professional
WRCI Granted Accreditation by Secured by Design
The Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative (WRCI) is pleased to announce that have been granted accreditation by Secured by Design to the national standard to ensure the partnership is operating lawfully, effectively and to the standards set out in the National Association of Business Crime Partnership Codes of Practice and supported by National Police Chiefs Council.
The Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative (WRCI) is pleased to announce that have been granted accreditation by Secured by Design to the national standard to ensure the partnership is operating lawfully, effectively and to the standards set out in the National Association of Business Crime Partnership Codes of Practice and supported by National Police Chiefs Council.
3 December 2023: Leamington Spa - Best Bar None
The Best Bar None multi-agency scheme has now launched in Leamington Spa.
The scheme provides a national accreditation that was developed to improve standards and safety within the hospitality industry and promote responsible management of licensed premises, such as pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Partner agencies are working alongside businesses to promote partnership working and reduce the likelihood of crime and anti-social behaviour through delivery of education, training and promotion of best practices across the industry, in order to make Warwickshire a more safer, healthier and enjoyable place to live and work. Read more here WRCI is working with partners to implement this.
The Best Bar None multi-agency scheme has now launched in Leamington Spa.
The scheme provides a national accreditation that was developed to improve standards and safety within the hospitality industry and promote responsible management of licensed premises, such as pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Partner agencies are working alongside businesses to promote partnership working and reduce the likelihood of crime and anti-social behaviour through delivery of education, training and promotion of best practices across the industry, in order to make Warwickshire a more safer, healthier and enjoyable place to live and work. Read more here WRCI is working with partners to implement this.
19 October 2023 : Crime down - Shoplifting increases by 23%
Incidents of violent crime have dropped by 28% in the year to June 2023.
The decline has been driven by a fall in criminal damage and fraud offences recorded by the police, ONS said.
A separate Crime Survey for England and Wales, which polls members of the public, suggests theft has dropped by 20% below pre-pandemic levels.
According to ONS, the number of recorded homicides fell to 602, a drop of 10% when compared to the 667 recorded the previous year.
However, shoplifting offences recorded by the police have risen by 25%.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) told the BBC that the levels of theft now cost retailers almost £1bn a year, while Dame Sharon White, the boss of John Lewis, said shoplifting had become an "epidemic" in the past year.
The Crime Survey, which interviews members of the public about their experiences, and is regarded as the best indicator of crime trends, suggests incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) are down 15% on pre-pandemic levels.
However perceptions of ASB are at roughly the same level, with around a quarter of people saying it was problem in their area.
Police-recorded incidents of burglary were down 29% on the number recorded in the year to March 2020. Source : BBC News
Incidents of violent crime have dropped by 28% in the year to June 2023.
The decline has been driven by a fall in criminal damage and fraud offences recorded by the police, ONS said.
A separate Crime Survey for England and Wales, which polls members of the public, suggests theft has dropped by 20% below pre-pandemic levels.
According to ONS, the number of recorded homicides fell to 602, a drop of 10% when compared to the 667 recorded the previous year.
However, shoplifting offences recorded by the police have risen by 25%.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) told the BBC that the levels of theft now cost retailers almost £1bn a year, while Dame Sharon White, the boss of John Lewis, said shoplifting had become an "epidemic" in the past year.
The Crime Survey, which interviews members of the public about their experiences, and is regarded as the best indicator of crime trends, suggests incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) are down 15% on pre-pandemic levels.
However perceptions of ASB are at roughly the same level, with around a quarter of people saying it was problem in their area.
Police-recorded incidents of burglary were down 29% on the number recorded in the year to March 2020. Source : BBC News
Association of Convenience Stores Crime Report 2023
The ACS Crime Report estimates that there were over 1.1m incidents of theft reported last year. The most commonly stolen items as reported by retailers are meat, alcohol and confectionery – typically high-value items that can then be sold on by those with a drug or alcohol addiction, or part of wider organised crime groups.
ACS has called on police forces and the Government to do more to take retail crime seriously and support local businesses. The five-point plan includes:
Additional key findings from the Crime Report include:
The ACS Crime Report estimates that there were over 1.1m incidents of theft reported last year. The most commonly stolen items as reported by retailers are meat, alcohol and confectionery – typically high-value items that can then be sold on by those with a drug or alcohol addiction, or part of wider organised crime groups.
ACS has called on police forces and the Government to do more to take retail crime seriously and support local businesses. The five-point plan includes:
- Introduce a ‘Most Wanted’ list of shop thieves in each police force area, where prolific offenders can be banned from retail areas or referred to rehabilitation programmes.
- Review the impact of new legislation that makes attacking a public facing worker (including shop staff) an aggravated offence.
- Invest in rehabilitation programmes for offenders to break the cycle of offending and ineffective punishment.
- Encourage local forces to use the tools available to them to deal with anti-social behaviour, such as the Community Trigger and Community Remedy powers.
- The Treasury should incentivise investment in crime prevention measures.
Additional key findings from the Crime Report include:
- 63% of shop theft is committed by repeat offenders.
- 79% of retailers believe that the cost-of-living crisis has led to an increase in theft.
- 87% of colleagues working in convenience stores have experienced verbal abuse over the last year.
- Retailers estimate that just 16% of crimes against their business are reported to the police.
- £228m was invested by convenience retailers in crime prevention measures over the last year.
CALLS FOR POLICE ACTION TO TACKLE VIOLENCE AGAINST RETAIL STAFF
2 March 2023: A survey conducted by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows an increasing pattern of violence and abuse towards retail workers in the UK, almost double that of pre-pandemic levels, including significant rises in violence and shop theft. Findings from the Annual BRC Crime Survey 2023 also revealed that over 300,000 colleagues suffered some sort of violence of abuse in the course of the year.
2 March 2023: A survey conducted by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows an increasing pattern of violence and abuse towards retail workers in the UK, almost double that of pre-pandemic levels, including significant rises in violence and shop theft. Findings from the Annual BRC Crime Survey 2023 also revealed that over 300,000 colleagues suffered some sort of violence of abuse in the course of the year.
Media Article: Policing minister urged to tackle retail crime
13 January 2023: Jason Birks, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, has written to Chris Philp MP to lay bare the true extent of such crimes and the devastating impact they have on victims.
Current figures show that there has been a significant increase in abuse and attacks on retail workers and incidents of shoplifting since the beginning of the pandemic.
A recent survey conducted among Federation members revealed theft of products under the value of £200 and abuse/hate crime were the most prominent incidences of retail crime, at 78 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively.
In addition, 40 per cent of survey respondents had experienced vandalism within their business, 23 per cent had experienced armed robbery and 18 per cent had suffered theft of products over the value of £200.
When asked why crimes were not reported, 45 per cent of members stated ‘lack of faith in the police force’ as their main reason for not notifying authorities of the crime. Read More Convenience Store Article
13 January 2023: Jason Birks, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, has written to Chris Philp MP to lay bare the true extent of such crimes and the devastating impact they have on victims.
Current figures show that there has been a significant increase in abuse and attacks on retail workers and incidents of shoplifting since the beginning of the pandemic.
A recent survey conducted among Federation members revealed theft of products under the value of £200 and abuse/hate crime were the most prominent incidences of retail crime, at 78 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively.
In addition, 40 per cent of survey respondents had experienced vandalism within their business, 23 per cent had experienced armed robbery and 18 per cent had suffered theft of products over the value of £200.
When asked why crimes were not reported, 45 per cent of members stated ‘lack of faith in the police force’ as their main reason for not notifying authorities of the crime. Read More Convenience Store Article
