Chief Executive, Intelligentsia Worldwide. Expert & Trusted Advisor on Market/Competitive Intelligence, Market/Competitive Analysis, Assessments of Competitiveness, Development of Competitive Strategy & Tactics.
A New Approach to Tackling the Scourge of Shoplifting I argued in a previous post that a key strategy for turning back the tide of shoplifting (342,000 offences in 2022/23) is to encourage more retailers to use private investigations firms with prosecution capabilities, because the police will only attend when there is either violence against a shop worker or a shoplifter has been detained. Now in London, TM Eye a leading private investigations firm, which partners with local councils, retailers and the police, says it has made 2,000 shoplifting arrests, 800 successful prosecutions and has recovered £485,000 of stolen goods. This is an impressive achievement. We know there is huge unmet demand across the country from retailers, BD zones and councils for the police to detect, arrest and prosecute more shoplifters, many of whom are prolific offenders; but the police and CPS lack the resources to do this. TM Eye shows that private investigations firms with the right experience, capabilities and professionalism can fill the police’s and CPS’s resource shortfalls. This private – public partnership model is, I think, an exciting policing and criminal justice innovation. It alleviates the police’s and CPS’s resource shortages; it provides a solution to retailers' unmet need for more action; and it offers society a proven new approach for tackling the scourge of shoplifting. #BritishRetailconsortium #LocalGovernmentAssociation #AssociationofBritishInvestigators #AssociationofChiefPoliceOfficers #TMEye