Retailers face growing crime

Almost half the UK attacks involved a knife or gun

Around a third of Welsh shopkeepers have been the victim of violent attacks in their shops, a poll of retailers has discovered.

A survey by the magazine Independent Retail News revealed Wales has more in-store violence than any other area of the UK - apart from Northern Ireland.

There are horror stories of CS gas, people losing fingers, retailers being blinded, retailers being stabbed, retailers being shot

Independent Retail News Editor Richard Siddell

The north of Scotland comes third while the north east of England has the lowest rate.

The results have prompted a "fight back against violence" campaign to encourage the government to help retailers invest in crime prevention and store security equipment.

The magazine's editor, Richard Siddell, said the study covered everything from harassment to physical attack.

"There are horror stories of CS gas, people losing fingers, retailers being blinded, retailers being stabbed, retailers being shot - the list is endless," he said.

The survey showed that up to 83% of retailers had considered giving up their shops because of the crime and that 29% had lost staff because of it.

Before I was never aware of people entering the shop, but now I'm aware of everybody who walks through the door

Shop crime victim Jean James

The poll also discovered that in over half the cases, a knife or gun was used.

Four out of ten attacks were serious enough for the victim to require hospital treatment, a visit to the doctor or time off work.

And almost half the shops that have suffered violence have been victims more than once, and three out of four retailers say they or their staff have suffered stress brought on by fear of crime.

Last December, Jean James was confronted by two masked men wielding axes in the newsagent shop in which she works in Swansea.

"It was very frightening. Before I was never aware of people entering the shop, but now I'm aware of everybody who walks through the door," she said.

Isolated

Roland Sherwood, south Wales secretary of the Federation of Small Business, runs a computer shop in Cardigan.

He said the federation quite often hears complaints from retailers about crime levels.

The crimes also cause further problems for retailers because insurance premiums go up, he said.

"Shopwatch" schemes that alert shopkeepers to trouble work well, he believes, but such schemes would be of no help to isolated retailers in rural areas.