Every retailer in Ireland has experienced crime in the past year – including violent robberies, gang harassment and shoplifting – a new survey has found.
In a survey among 100 store owners by retail magazine ShelfLife, everyone indicated that they had suffered from it some form of crime in the past 12 months.
Nearly nine in ten (89%) say crime is becoming increasingly dangerous, with 56% reporting problems with gangs that have created a ‘hostile’ and ‘unsafe’ environment for both staff and customers.
According to the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association (ISME), crime costs retailers €1.62 billion annually.
Every retailer in Ireland has experienced crime in the past year – including violent robberies, gang harassment and shoplifting – a new survey has found. Image: REX functions
UNMERCIOUS
Flora Crowe, owner of Crowes Grocery & Bakery in Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, and director of the Convenience Store & Newsagents Association (CSNA), told the Irish Daily Mail the crime was ‘brutal’.
Her shop was the target of three armed robberies in ten days, with thieves armed with knives and scissors demanding cash and cigarettes.
She said: ‘It has shocked us to our core. The staff was petrified. One girl left and never came back. It changes the whole atmosphere of the store. We are always watching and tense.
‘Kids in gangs come and shoplift every day. They eat chocolate bars and walk outside. They are very difficult to stop.
“There is very little that gardaí can do as many of them are under the age of criminal responsibility. Or because it’s only €2 or €3, you’re ashamed to call the gardaí, but you have to because it adds up.
“There is no Garda presence so young people know they can get away with it,” she said.
‘SHOP LIFT TOURISM’
‘We also see a lot of shoplifting tourism. People come from out of town, dress nicely and just walk out with $200-$300. That’s happened four or five times,” Ms Crowe said.
‘Or people drive away two to three times a week without paying for fuel. Cars drive in with covered license plates. Recently a man in a mask had a jerry can, put €80 worth of fuel in it and left,” she added.
Patrick Durack, owner of Centra Ferns supermarket in Co. Wexford, said he has witnessed a major increase in violence and shoplifting in recent years.
He added: ‘(It’s) a challenge to the viability of the store. Retail is a low-margin business and the daily inventory walking out the door has a detrimental impact.
‘The recruitment of more gardaí for frontline policing duties is essential. Such as a compensation scheme for shops where goods are robbed or damaged due to criminal activities.’
Every retailer in Ireland has experienced crime in the past year – including violent robberies, gang harassment and shoplifting – a new survey has found. Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Yesterday the CSNA said there should be mandatory prison sentences for those who abuse shop workers, as well as anti-social behavior orders and financial penalties for criminals.
MANDATORY PRISON
They are also seeking an increased Garda presence in shopping areas and local crime hotlines in each Garda division. More than two-thirds of retailers said they were unhappy with current Garda response times, with 88% reporting there was no visible Garda presence in their area.
CSNA chief Vincent Jennings said: “It is time for change. Retailers are the backbone of our communities. This isn’t just about theft; it is about protecting entrepreneurs, staff and customers from increasingly dangerous situations. Stronger protection is urgently needed.’
The number of prosecutions for shoplifting has increased by 20% this year, Justice Secretary Helen McEntee announced last week.
She said she and gardaí have ‘listened’ to retailers’ concerns and are committed to tackling the crime.
“Gardaí have arrested over 12,000 people in our city centre,” she said. ‘As a result, approximately 20 million euros worth of drugs were seized.’