Chocolate locked in anti-theft boxes as stolen confectionary is ‘funding criminal activity’ in London

Supermarkets and shops are cracking down on theft of chocolate bars in shops by locking them up in plastic boxes and putting rail guards on shelves.

Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco have been forced to take drastic action to stop thieves stealing goods from their shops and have recently copied actions taken by stores in the US to protect their stock.

It comes after the British Retail Consortium revealed earlier today there were 5.5 million incidents of shoplifting last year, but with many incidents going undetected, the true cost is believed to be much higher.

They said organized criminal gangs are increasingly targeting high-value, easily resold goods, exploiting the lack of consequences from law enforcement. 

In London specifically, the Association of Convenience Stores said 40% of retailers in the capital report that theft levels have increased over the last year.

While meat, alcohol and electrical goods are typically the products taken by thieves, the ACS said chocolate has now entered criminal networks and is being sold on by gang members.

ACS chief executive James Lowman told Metro: ‘Confectionery, like other products commonly stolen from local shops, is being re-sold through illicit markets that help fund wider criminal activity.

‘Alongside better police support and effective sentences for repeat offenders, we need action to shut down the networks re-selling stolen goods. In the past, chocolate was primarily stolen by opportunists and petty thieves but more recently it has become one of the items that is targeted by gangs and prolific offenders to be sold on.

‘This is another reason why retailers have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in recent years to detect and deter crime in store.’

Tesco and Sainsbury’s take action against theft

Metro reported in December how Tesco had started placing 120g Cadbury Dairy Milk caramel bars which cost £2.10 each – or £1.75 for Clubcard holders – in the boxes to protect them. A source from the supermarket chain said that security decisions are taken on a store-by-store basis and denied it was new policy.

In response to the new measures taken by Sainsbury’s, a spokesperson told Metro: ‘We have a range of security measures in our stores and, where theft levels are higher, some may take additional steps to help reduce this. 

‘In some instances this will involve the introduction of boxes on products which are regularly targeted while in others we will use shelf-edge protection instead.’

The Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently going through its final stages of legislation drafting before it’s turned into law, will introduce a new standalone offense of assaulting a retail worker, which the government says will ‘protect staff, measure the scale of the problem and drive down retail crime’.

It will also remove a section of the Magistrates’ Court Act 1980 which grants ‘perceived immunity’ to shop thefts under £200, to ensure it’s treated like any other theft offense.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said:
‘Theft remains a huge issue, with an increasingly concerning link to organized criminal gangs, who continue to systematically target one store after another, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods in one go.

‘Retailers, the police and government must continue to work together, building on the great work done so far, focusing on consistent enforcement, better data and intelligence sharing, and targeted action against prolific offenders and organized gangs.

‘The £7 million investment announced in the policing White Paper is another welcome signal of government’s commitment to tackling organized retail crime.

‘However, turning this into real impact requires sustained prioritisation and dedicated resourcing from police. For the sake of the three million hardworking people in retail, this work must not stop.’

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