Mushtaq Ahmed, who owns and runs the Lifestyle Express store in Waunarlwydd
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WITH new figures revealing that retail crime is on the up, Swansea business owners are calling for more to be done to protect their livelihoods.
The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) has put retail crime at the top of their agenda for 2016, after its research found that crime against retailers was on the rise.
Retail crime consists of shop theft, retail fraud, illicit trade, property crime and violent crime, and according to the federation, on average, 241 shop workers are victims of violent crime every single day.
Mushtaq Ahmed, who owns and runs the Lifestyle Express store in Waunarlwydd, came face-to-face with an armed robber who demanded cash in September last year.
But after standing his ground, and refusing to give in to the robber's demands, the culprit left the store empty-handed.
Mr Ahmed said: "This guy came into the shop at about 8.50pm, I was just about to close the shop. He was wearing dark glasses and a hoody, and he had a gun. He told me to hand over the money, but I grabbed my bat and told him I would hit him with it if he didn't leave my shop. He stared at me for a few minutes and then walked out calmly.
"I have been here 25 years and this is first time that this has happened."
But Mr Ahmed said the shop did get a lot of petty thefts, with around one theft taking place every week.
"There has been an increase in petty crime," he said.
Above: Ross Hopkins was jailed for seven years for his raid on Mr Ahmed's shop and another
The business owner said he believed the increase in petty crimes had a lot to with an increase of population in the area.
"This used to be a small village, but it's nothing like that anymore," he said.
"We get petty thefts at least once a week. It is happening all of the time.
Mr Ahmed said he used CCTV to deter criminals in his shop. He said he had two cameras outside and a further eight cameras inside.
But he said he believed there were ways to reduce retail crime in the area.
"What I would like to see is more police on the street. I think a bigger police presence will help."
Research by the NFRN revealed incidents of violent crime had seen a sharp increase over the past few years, with an average of five stores per 100 being a victim of robbery, a 12 per cent increase on the previous year.
A spokesman for NFRN said: "The latest figures show a direct cost of retail crime to be £613 million 2014-15, the highest cost ever on record, with more than 4.1 million incidents, of which 3.5 million were customer thefts, with an average cost of £325 per incident.
"Shop theft costs independent retailers substantial income. This can lead to retailers increasing their item prices to recover losses, which affects local customers. In some instances, it costs independent retailers so much it can end their business entirely.
"Our aim is to make the Government (across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland), police and crime commissioners and police constables aware of the growing threat retail crime bring to the retail industry, their workers and the local community.
"The NFRN wants your help to raise the issue of retail crime, meet with businesses that are heavily affected by the financial loss, and the businesses on the brink of closure."
Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/protect-Swansea-businesses-increase-retail-crime/story-29353030-detail/story.html#ixzz4AnV3V2EV
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