Stream Episode 11 Now!
'Retail Crime Uncovered' Podcast Presented by Sekura Global

The fascinating podcast hosted by Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology supported by Sekura Global. Retail theft insights from leading crime and loss experts, shop staff and policing bodies. Hard-hitting interviews with ex-offenders and retail criminals.

In this episode of Retail Crime Uncovered, Emmeline explores the notion that theft has been decriminalised in the UK. The official figures do not make for a palatable listen. Emmeline outlines why now is the time to act to turn the tide on the shoplifting epidemic. To understand the importance of early intervention in what might be considered ‘petty theft’ as someone starts their offending career, she talks to a former prolific offender about her experiences from having a full-time job at a top hairdressing salon to a life of crime and addiction.

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Facial Recognition & AI Helping Retailers Fight Crime Surge

Retailers Globally Lean Into Facial Recognition to Fight Store Crime
'We think facial recognition has the potential to help by identifying repeat offenders'

Foodstuffs store facial recognition trial ‘will cut down on crime’
One of New Zealand’s biggest grocers will scan customers' faces in stores to combat shoplifting and cut down on crime. Foodstuffs North Island is using facial recognition technology (FRT) in a six month trial across 25 stores as part of crime prevention measures to help keep its staff and customers safe.

Their latest retail crime statistics from around 300-plus stores show there were 4,719 separate offences recorded in the October-December 2023 quarter - an increase of 34% on the previous period. They say that FRT will help identify repeat offenders and reduce harmful behaviour in store.

Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive, Chris Quin said:

“Everyone has the right to a safe working environment and a safe place to buy their groceries, this trial of FR in our stores is part of our commitment to keeping our teams and customers safe. ... We have a moral and legal duty to make our stores as safe as possible for our teams and customers, and we think facial recognition has the potential to help by identifying repeat offenders when they try to come back into our stores.”

The system works by matching, in real time, the faces of people who enter a store against a store’s record of offenders and accomplices. If the system reaches a “90% facial match” threshold, two members of staff will also need to agree before acting upon the information. “Verified repeat offenders” will then be approached, Foodstuffs say.

“We’ve been very careful about ensuring this trial gets the balance right between providing a safe environment for our people and customers and being respectful of everyone’s privacy.” stuff.co.nz  1news.co.nz


Using AI to Fight a 44% Increase in Retail Crime
UK: Co-op deploys AI and secure tills amid rise in retail crime

Staff encounter multiple theft attempts weekly, with thieves targeting alcohol, cigarettes and lottery cards.

British co-operative retailer Co-op is re-inforcing its supermarket security by installing 200 secure till kiosks, locked cabinets for spirits and AI (artificial intelligence) technology to supervise self-checkouts.

The move follows a 44% increase in retail crime, equating to around 1,000 incidents daily. The UK-based grocery retailer operates a network of 2,400 stores. It reported detaining 3,361 individuals in 2023 for offences including burglary and harassment.

Co-op has already invested £200m in security measures such as additional guards and undercover teams, but cases of shoplifting have increased by 48%, reaching 298,000 occurrences, The Guardian has reported.

In some locations, staff encounter multiple theft attempts weekly, with thieves targeting alcohol, cigarettes and lottery cards.

Co-op food managing director Matt Hood was quoted as saying: “This is not a few opportunistic shoplifters becoming more prolific. This is organised crime and looting. “People who are really organised can only be stopped by custodial sentences and the police. We need it to have consequences."

The retailer believes that with serious incident prioritisation and police collaboration, the issue can be addressed effectively.  retail-insight-network.com


California Gov. is Sending in More Prosecutors Amid Crime Crackdown
This week, Gov. Newsom also announced he was deploying 120 state troopers to Oakland

Gov. Newsom sending state attorneys to help prosecute crimes in Alameda County
Days after he announced he would be sending state troopers in to help Oakland police make arrests, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is sending prosecutors from the state to help prosecute "serious and complex" cases in Alameda County amid a crime surge.

Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta made a joint announcement on Thursday, describing this development as a "partnership" with Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price to increase the capacity to prosecute suspects involved in violent crimes, serious drug-related crimes, and property crimes — including retail theft and auto burglary — in Oakland and the East Bay.

Price has pitched herself as a progressive with a particular philosophy of holding people accountable while also wanting to end racial disparity and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people.

But at least publicly, she seemed to appreciate the outside prosecutorial help, even though her administration, and the past administration, has never complained that they've been short of attorneys.

"I welcome the support from the Governor in this fight against organized retail crime and the scourge of fentanyl in our community," Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said in a statement distributed by Newsom’s office.

The California Department of Justice has independent prosecutorial authority and, as part of this partnership, is expected to prosecute big cases targeting major criminal networks in Oakland and the East Bay, Newsom's office said. Lawyers will be sent from the California National Guard and the state’s Department of Justice.

It's Newsom's latest tough-on-crime approach. This week, he announced the deployment of 120 CHP officers to the East Bay as part of a law enforcement surge operation, targeting auto theft, cargo theft, retail crime, violent crime, and high-visibility traffic enforcement. With so many more officers, there are bound to be more arrests, and more need to prosecute them, experts pointed out.  ktvu.com

   Click here to read the D&D Daily's initial coverage of Newsom's troop deployment


Chicago's Criminal Gangs Recruiting Migrants for Crime Sprees
Chicagoland criminals expanding enterprises by training migrants for suburban crime sprees

'And the police officers are saying, "Just forget it. Why bother? Why bother even making the arrest?"' retired chief says

Criminal enterprises in the Chicago area are benefiting from the migrant crisis as they recruit illegal immigrants to carry out crimes with little legal repercussions, a former Illinois police chief says.

Chicago and its surrounding areas have been the target of repeated migrant crimes, including quiet suburban malls seeing groups of people who illegally entered the U.S. ripping off department stores such as Macy’s.

Since August 2022, Chicago has seen an estimated 35,000 migrants flood the city after they illegally crossed the southern border in Texas, which bussed or flew them north.

The former police chief said that before the migrant crisis exploded in northern cities, Chicago was already dealing with 2020’s crime wave that seeped into suburban towns.

"Individuals from the city, gang members, and even gang enterprises, would send individuals out to the suburbs to commit crimes at the suburban malls or residential areas for burglaries. And they would always flee back east to Chicago. That was a pattern that happened every single week," Weitzel said of crime issues pre-migrant crisis.

Now, the pool of criminals has seemingly expanded as some migrants land in the city and link up with criminals, gangs and criminal businesses that show them the ropes on how and where to commit crime, Weitzel said.

Migrants are dropped off at landing zones and "immediately targeted by these organizations to go out and commit crime," Weitzel said. foxnews.com


Deep Dive Into ORC Rings in Florida
How organized retail theft rings operate in Central Florida
The thieves operate in groups, stealing thousands of dollars worth of items like expensive power tools, designer clothes and beauty products-- often in broad daylight. But what cameras don’t always show is what comes next.

Former Melbourne investigator Mark Jennewein says it first seemed like individual shoplifting cases. Then, investigators were able to connect the dots-- to the suspects, the items, and then the e-commerce sites like Facebook Marketplace. They sell it at absurdly low prices.

Detective Christopher Thomas says these rings often start locally, and the longer they operate, the larger their footprint becomes. “All of a sudden, we’re crossing borders into Georgia, and then up to east coast and over to Texas,” Thomas said.

The Melbourne-based ring eventually stretched from Kentucky to Panama.

The investigators say there’s larger scale groups, some based overseas that travel to steal merchandise from Central Florida stores.

Groups often recruit homeless people or juveniles to go into stores to shoplift and turn it over to the group for fast cash.

Theft rings in Florida have also been connected to other crimes like money laundering and drug trafficking.

These rings are of even more concern because of all the money retailers have lost in the last couple years. Florida alone lost over $5 billion in retail theft last year. Nationwide, the losses added up to $112 billion.

Researchers project retail theft could cost retailers over $140 billion next year. wftv.com


D.C. Lawmakers Seek to Cut Felony Theft Threshold in Half
Business owners react to DC bill that makes retail theft over $500 a felony
In the age of smash-and-grabs and flash mob robberies across D.C., local business owners are divided on whether the Secure D.C. omnibus legislative package will help them.

One aspect of the legislation would make retail theft a felony at $500 instead of $1,000 as it is now. Peter Wood, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner chairman for the Adams Morgan area, feels that change could help.

“I hope it succeeds,” he told 7News. “I'm just skeptical that that in and of itself will be the thing that makes circumstances better.” Ifat Pridan, who owns Lili The First boutique in Georgetown, doesn’t think the increased penalty will help. “Do you think the thieves are coming here and saying: ‘Okay, just a minute let me think, let me keep it under $500?’," Pridan said.

She would rather have more police officers patrolling retail areas. “We need to feel safer here,” Pridan said. “And if we feel safer here, most probably the thieves will not feel comfortable coming here.”

The $500 threshold was approved in Tuesday’s vote after Councilmember Janeese Lewis George withdrew her initial amendment.

D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah is hoping whatever is ultimately approved in the coming weeks gets closer to the mayor’s ACT Now proposal from last year, which calls for the felony threshold to be ten items at $250 aggregated due to an increase in thefts of household goods and more inexpensive items. wjla.com


Rising crime is turning a once thriving city into a 'ghost town'
As violent crime continues to rise in Oakland, California, businesses are forced to close and once thriving ares are now empty.

Robberies Skyrocketing in Northern Dallas This Year

How one landmark case could change America’s response to mass shootings