In the know

Members of Surrey’s business community are being urged to share their experiences of retail crime in a new survey.
 

Surrey Police has teamed up with the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend to gain a true understanding of the scale of retail crime across Surrey.

The survey asks people to have their say on the number of offences experienced and the financial impact. It also provides space for victims to share more about how the offending has affected them.

Please find a link to the survey here. 

Retail crime is rising in Surrey, as it is around the country.

While the Force must prioritise reports of crime by the risk of serious harm, we are pleased to say that arrests, convictions and out-of-court interventions for retail crime are improving. In the past year, almost 1,300 arrests for shop thefts were made, up from 555 in the preceding 12 months.   

At the same time, the number of retail crimes identified by the Force has more than doubled, from 636 to 1,537.   

However, retail crime is still known to be under-reported.

Surrey Police’s Chief Constable Tim De Meyer said: “Retail crime isn’t a ‘victimless crime’ impacting large corporations, it can lead to fear in a whole network from business owners to employees and customers – who are all part of a community we are here to protect. 

“We are committed to tackling retail crime head on, relentlessly pursuing those who walk into shops and take what isn’t rightfully theirs. To do so, we rely on every instance being reported so that we can identify hotspots and trends, act swiftly, and ideally prevent these crimes ever happening in the first place.  

“Pursuing all appropriate avenues to identify offenders, collect evidence, recover stolen property, ensure witnesses are located and interviewed, and get these crimes to court, is a priority for our officers. 

“Work continues to robustly deal with offenders of retail crime. We have made great strides in this area, but there is more to do with your help.”