Shoplifting up almost a quarter across North East
New figures out today reveal that shoplifting has gone up by almost a quarter across the North East in recent months.
Police recorded crime figures published by the North East Retail Crime Partnership (NERCP), suggest a strong link between a rise in the number of thefts from shops and the economic recession.
The statistics for September to December 2008 show an overall rise of 22% in shop theft in the Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland Police areas compared to the same period in 2007. In total, 6,627 shoplifting incidents were recorded by police in the final four months of 2008
across the North East, compared to 5,454 in 2007.
“The credit crunch is already bad news for retailers,” said NERCP manager Dawn Robinson. “But it now looks like the recession could also be fuelling a rise in shop crime. “Up until September last year, when the economic downturn started to bite, shop theft had been steadily falling in the North East. Now this trend has reversed.”
