Retailers in agreement on rise in organised retail crime

One of the most distressing trends in organized crime activity is the propensity for thieves to resort to violence to avoid being apprehended, putting store personnel, law enforcement and customers at risk. According to the survey, retailers say on average two in 10 (18.3%) apprehensions lead to some level of violence, up from 15.2 percent last year and 13.0 percent in 2011.

Individuals connected to “gateway crimes,” or crimes that are known to lead to bigger crimes, such as the use of or sale of drugs and weapons, are often found to be associated with organized crime gangs. According to the survey, retailers say on average 44.8 percent of those apprehended for ORC are involved in gateway crimes.

Law enforcement understanding of issue grows

Thanks to organized methods of communication between retailers and law enforcement, awareness among law enforcement officials is at an all-time high. According to the survey, nearly half (48.1%) of retailers say they believe law enforcement understands the complexity and severity of ORC, up from 40.0 percent last year and the highest percent reported in the five years of asking this question.

Nearly six in 10 (58.4%) believe top management at their organization understands the severity of ORC, up from 54.4 percent last year.

National Retail Federation