Do Non-Intervention Policies Embolden Shoplifters?
UK: Workers need more support over shoplifters, says professor
Sean Egan, 46, who had worked at the Aldridge store, near Walsall, for 29 years, was devastated when he was dismissed following an incident in December, after he intervened when a repeat shoplifter became abusive.

Emmeline Taylor, a professor of criminology, said the incident highlighted a "nationwide shoplifting epidemic". "Shoplifters are becoming increasingly emboldened. They might carry weapons, they're threatening, they're aggressive [but now] retailers responded to say, don't intervene," Taylor said.

The City Saint George's University professor said broader non-intervention policies that have emboldened offenders are one reason for the increase in theft incidents and assaults towards retail workers.

"A non-intervention approach morphed into policies of, do not intervene and it suddenly became that you would be the one being questioned if you did so, and that's where we've got this real issue.

"Policies were brought in with good intentions. The way that they seem to have been implicated just is soul destroying for shop workers who are well trained.

The number of shop thefts recorded by the police last year was 529,994 incidents tallied by the Office for National Statistics.

"It would appear that Morrisons have taken a very black and white approach to this, that perhaps doesn't understand the context that shop workers are actually having to work in at the moment," she said.

The story was catapulted into the national headlines, with politicians and the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police rushing to show their support. The former store manager, who lives in Wolverhampton, previously said the support he had received from the nation was "outstanding".

A Morrisons spokesperson said the store could not comment on individual cases, but that the health and safety of all colleagues and customers was of paramount importance. bbc.com


The Rise of High-Income Shoplifters
Walmart and Target face new self-checkout retail theft problems

The behavior is showing up at Publix, Kroger, and Albertsons.

Retailers, especially supermarkets and large department stores, including Walmart and Target, have faced theft issues with self-checkout. Now, new research from LendingTree shows that who is stealing and how consumers feel about theft is creating a new problem for stores.

Higher-income earners are stealing more

Self-checkout makes it somewhat easier for people to steal because it offers the plausible deniability of the missed item being a mistake.

Forty percent of six-figure earners admitted to deliberately not scanning an item at a store, according to the LendingTree report. That’s more than double the 17% of people making $30,000 and under who say they have done the same thing.

About a third (31%) of those who’ve stolen intentionally don’t feel remorseful. In fact, 55% say they think they’ll do it again.

Schulz said that may boil down to ongoing frustration with how expensive life is today, and how little hope people have that things will dramatically improve.

“People have watched prices rise for years, and often see retailers’ profits continue to rise, too,” he says. “They feel like if they walk out of a store without paying for a loaf of bread or a pint of ice cream that it won’t even amount to a rounding error for that company, but it could help make their life a little easier.” thestreet.com


More Fingers Pointed at Self-Checkout Aisles
Middle-class shoplifting linked to rise in self-checkouts, says M&S chairman
Self-checkouts in supermarkets and shops are increasingly being associated with a rise in middle-class shoplifting, according to Archie Norman, chairman of Marks & Spencer. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Norman expressed concern that pressed-for-time shoppers are opting to steal items rather than properly scanning them when faced with checkout issues. “When normally good, honest people come in and they’re buying their shopping and it doesn’t scan, and there’s nobody manning the checkouts, they’re saying, ‘It’s not my fault and I don’t have much time so if I can’t get my strawberries through, I’ll just put them in my basket,’” he elaborated.

The prevalence of self-checkouts and their implications on theft dynamics are currently under investigation by researchers at City St George’s University of London, led by Professor Emmeline Taylor, an expert in retail crime. Taylor has introduced the term “swipers” to characterize middle-class shoppers who engage in casual theft by exploiting gaps in checkout technology. Her research suggests that these individuals often use “class signifiers,” such as appearing well-dressed and employing educated language, to evade scrutiny while committing theft.

Marks & Spencer has responded to the evolving landscape of retail by adding hundreds of self-service machines, having installed 800 checkouts in 2023 aimed at saving the company £150 million. Recently, the retailer has called for increased government and police intervention to tackle retail crime, highlighting that organized criminal gangs are increasingly targeting their stores.

Norman’s remarks coincide with official statistics revealing that half a million shoplifting incidents were reported to the police last year, marking a decrease of 1 percent from the previous year. In a similar vein, Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, commented on the importance of visible policing in stores, stating, “It would make the point that this issue is really serious, it really matters and it’s really top of the agenda.”  news.ssbcrack.com


Violence in the Workplace
Workplace Violence is Increasing

The rate of workplace assaults per 10,000 FTE increased by 62%, according to study from National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Workplace violence, which can range from threats, verbal abuse, up to physical assault and homicide, has increased at an annualized rate of 5.3% per year from 2011 through 2021-22, according to a paper released this month from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

The paper focuses on nonfatal assaults from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate of workplace assaults per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers increased by 62%.

The share of assaults among all of the BLS’ days away from work (DAFW) cases increased from 1.3% in 2011 to a peak of 2.3% in 2019.

Women tend to experience an elevated risk of workplace assault. Workers aged 20 to 34 experience a disproportionate number of assaults. Hitting, kicking, and beating by another person accounts for nearly 93% of all workplace assaults.

The survey found that the majority of workplace assaults resulting in days away from work involve physical altercations such as hitting, kicking, or beating, accounting for nearly 93% of all cases.

Although the remaining assault categories each make up only a very small share of total incidents, they often involve more severe mechanisms, such as shootings, stabbings, or sexual assault.

These lower-frequency events can carry substantial per-injury medical, legal, and productivity costs, meaning that even a small number of severe assaults can have an outsized impact on employers and workers. ehstoday.com


Supreme Court Reviews Police Use of Cell Location Data to Find Criminals

Anaheim approves 72 additional license plate reader cameras