Research & Consultancy

Home Office / National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) 

The focus of this report could be considered narrow as it looks at the theft of one specific product: tobacco. Yet the implications could not be broader. Tobacco related crime presents huge financial losses to the public purse. Since 2000, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) estimate that £54.3 billion in tax revenue has been lost due to the illegal sale of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco products in the UK.

The report presents a three-pronged strategy to tackle the trade in stolen tobacco focusing on education (of licensed premises and law enforcement agencies), intelligence gathering (through campaigns and tactical operations), and enforcement activity.

The Co-op 

Recently described as an ‘epidemic’ and ‘out of control’, the UK has a shoplifting problem. Often dismissed as a petty crime, and one that is relatively victimless, shop theft can have serious and far-reaching consequences. Retail crime not only impacts on a business’s ability to operate safely and profitably, but it also causes harm to shop workers, both physically and mentally, and to communities that are blighted by persistent crime.

This report makes ten recommendations to tackle prolific local offending, including changes to legislation, a focus on interrupting the stolen goods trade and the introduction of measurable key performance indicators to monitor the commitments made in the police Retail Crime Action Plan. By taking decisive action to tackle high-volume, highimpact acquisitive crime, the police and retail industry can together create safer communities in which to live, work and shop.

ECR Retail Loss 

Although the misappropriation of tangible assets such as cash or inventory is often the most immediate association with staff dishonesty, internal theft encompasses a broader range of behaviours. As retail operations evolve, becoming more technologically integrated and operationally complex, so do the methods and opportunities for internal misconduct. 

This report documents estimated levels of internal theft internationally, highlights the impact, and introduces the ‘detection gap’ methodology to illuminate the high levels of incidents that go undetected. The role of a revitalised internal comms and marketing strategy is considered as having a potentially high ROI if done right. 

College of Policing 

This evidence briefing focuses on community trauma and reconciliation in policing. A literature search was conducted to identify and assess key published police, governmental and academic studies and reviews of community trauma, reconciliation, and restorative practice in policing.

The briefing outlines three interrelated concepts and ideas: collective, community and intergenerational trauma. It outlines how learnings from different contexts can be leveraged by the police and suggests a program of future research and evaluation to identify best practice.

West Midlands Police 

This final report of the Offender to Rehab process evaluation outlines the key lessons learnt throughout the pilot. It focuses on the future of the O2R programme, specifically on ensuring that opportunities to work with a broad range of prolific offenders who are drug affected but not eligible for the O2R programme are not missed. 

The report is structured around the chronology of the O2R programme with the following sections: recruitment and training of O2R officers; referral pathways; client profile, engagement and treatment; rehabilitation experience and impact; client preparation for sustainable change and case studies; and, key lessons learned and the future of the O2R programme.

The Co-op

Violence and aggression in shops can have far-reaching and devastating consequences for shop workers, their customers and the communities that they serve. Hundreds of thousands of working hours are lost each year due to injuries – both physical and mental – and many shop workers are now making the difficult decision to leave a job that they once enjoyed. 

All too frequently, shop workers are suffering physical injuries, as well as chronic and life-changing mental health consequences of violence, such as long-term anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many attest that the level of violence in the retail sector has reached ‘epidemic’ proportions. 

The testimonies that are contained within this report highlight the shocking impact of violence on shop workers, their families and the communities which they serve. It is evident that government action is urgently needed to protect employees and send a clear message that violence and verbal abuse will not be tolerated in our shops.

National Business Crime Centre (NBCC)

A BCRP is a subscription-based, business-led, non-profit making action group working with police and the local authority to tackle and reduce crime and disorder affecting businesses (Metropolitan Police, 2021). They have huge potential to drive communication and collaboration between the police, local businesses and local authorities on crime-related issues that directly impact on business as well as the surrounding areas more broadly. Partnerships can apply to become accredited by The Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI). Yet not all BCRPs apply to become accredited for reasons that have not been clear.

This report provides recommendations on how to improve the visibility of BCRPs to those empowered to support them. This in turn will enhance the effectiveness of crime reduction partnerships by providing reassurance to businesses, stakeholders, and the police that accredited schemes are of value to achieving the shared aim of reducing crime and creating safer communities where businesses can thrive.

The Co-op 

This report is based on the findings from interviews with a range of criminal justice practitioners, including police officers, magistrates, probation officers, restorative justice practitioners and youth justice managers, and ten convicted prolific offenders. 

The aim of the study was to gain their views on what effective sentencing could look like against the backdrop of the policy reforms outlined in the White Paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, and the legislative changes in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill. The interviews took place between October 2020

College of Policing 

This report focuses on satisfaction and confidence in the police in the UK and is presented as a guide for police forces to identify key measures of public confidence and evidence-based practices for enhancing it. It explores key concepts including trust, legitimacy, and consent, and how they are measured. 

The guide summarizes available research and identifies factors associated with public perceptions of the police. This guide supports senior police leaders and police and crime commissioners to help achieve this mission. It clearly sets out the best available evidence on public confidence in the police, as well as the policing activities that are most likely to have an impact.

ECR Retail Loss

This research report outlines the findings from an in-depth study into ‘most-at-risk stores’, i.e. those with the highest rates of crime, threat and vulnerability. The project aimed to explore the risk mitigation strategies being deployed, their rationale, and how they are experienced by store associates.

Companies located in 11 different countries took part in interviews and more than 30 stores were visited in person in six different countries. Store associates, security guards, store managers, area managers, and even some customers took part in informal discussions and interviews relating to security and risk mitigation in each site.

The findings are presented as a framework ‘The Risk Mitigation Wheel’ designed to help retailers think about protecting their most-at-risk stores. 

ECR Retail Loss 

The original ‘Fortress Stores’ report has been well-read across the asset protection / loss prevention community internationally but the audience for a comprehensive risk mitigation strategy, particularly during times of elevated criminality, must reach beyond those who are already well-versed in matters relating to crime. 

The tool presented here is designed to disrupt and inform company-wide thinking. It intends to better involve and integrate different functions of the business into seeing how they can each contribute towards identifying and tackling vulnerabilities. In doing so, it seeks to identify misconceptions, challenge the status quo and provide a structured way to discuss retail risk.

The Co-op

Against a backdrop of increasing physical violence and verbal abuse being directed towards shop workers throughout England and Wales, this report provides a continuation of the It’s Not Part of the Job research with a focus on young people aged 15-25. Through engagement with young people and stakeholders across England, it examines the root causes of youth offending and anti-social behaviour(ASB). This report outlines the findings from engaging directly with young people and stakeholders (including youth mentors, service commissioners, the police, outreach workers, and local authority representatives). 

As the cross-party Youth Violence Commission stresses, to reduce youth offending, there must be a commitment ‘to reduce poverty and inequality and ensure that all children and young people are given the best possible opportunities to cultivate and pursue their hopes and dreams for a better future’.