RILA Survey: Retail Crime on the Rise
Crimes against retailers are on the rise, according to the RILA “Crime Trends Survey,” released on May 5.
The increasing crime has frustrated retailers’ well-financed theft-prevention efforts. In 2007, U.S. retailers spent $11.799 billion to fight retail crime, according to an estimate of “The Global Retail Theft Barometer,” published by the Nottingham, England–based Centre for Retail Research.
The RILA Crime Trends Survey was presented at the RILA 2009 Loss Prevention, Auditing & Safety Conference in Orlando, Fla. RILA, an acronym for Retail Industry Leaders Association, recently announced it will merge with Washington, D.C.–based National Retail Federation.
From the survey, 61 percent of retailers surveyed report having experienced an increase in amateur shoplifting in the last four months and 55 percent have experienced an increase in financial fraud. The report found 72 percent of respondents said they continue to see an increase in organized retail crime.
“The current uptick in unlawful activity is an unfortunate yet unsurprising consequence of an economy in distress,” said Paul Jones, RILA’s vice president of asset protection. —Andrew Asch
