Following the trials of hundreds of looters involved in the UK-wide riots in August 2011, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is calling for the government to maintain this approach for retail criminals in the future. In a survey, eight out of ten businesses said that their staff were now afraid of future violence, including reprisals, and the BRC is keen to see that these workers get adequate protection.
The BRC feels that fines are not a suitable deterrent and says that the strong stance of the police and the courts when dealing with those involved in the 2011 disturbances has set the right tone for dealing with retail crime.
BRC's director general Stephen Robertson said: "The appropriate punishment of those who persistently and systematically target retailers can only be achieved if offenders are brought before the courts so the full impact of their crimes is clearly understood."
Shops can help protect themselves from the impact of retail crime by ensuring that they have an adequate retail insurance policy in place.
