Why is the head of the British Independent Retailers Association criticizing the Met Police chief?

The CEO criticized the Met Police chief for publicly lecturing retailers on shoplifting, suggesting police had previously neglected the issue and that retailers are already investing heavily in security.

How much have retailers invested in security to combat shoplifting?

Retailers have invested £1.2 billion in high-tech security measures over the last two years.

What are the Met Police's recent statistics on shoplifting?

The Met Police reported a 4.4% decrease in store thefts from April to December, attributing progress to their increased efforts and technology like facial recognition.

Home / Business and Economy / Retailer fires back at Met Police chief over shoplifting

Retailer fires back at Met Police chief over shoplifting

14 Dec

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Summary

Retail CEO calls Met Police chief's shoplifting criticism 'off-field'.
Retailers invested £1.2 billion in security, still lose £2 billion.
Police had 'effectively ignored' shoplifting before recent action.

Retailer fires back at Met Police chief over shoplifting

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, has voiced strong disagreement with Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's recent public lecture to retailers about tackling shoplifting. Goodacre described the criticism as 'off-field,' emphasizing that the retail sector has already invested £1.2 billion in advanced security measures over the past two years, yet still suffers annual losses of £2 billion. He suggested that police had largely ignored the problem until recently, making the call for retailers to 'step up' unilateral rather than collaborative.

The exchange highlights a disparity in perceived efforts. While Goodacre acknowledged recent police improvements and the value of collaborative groups like the Police and Retail Crime Action Group, he stressed that progress stemmed from joint efforts, not solely police action. Sir Mark, however, pointed to instances where retailers allegedly hampered investigations by withholding CCTV or failing to allow staff time for witness statements, asserting that police have 'doubled down' on shoplifting and now expect retailers to do the same.