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EUROPEANS MASTER ANTI-THEFT ARTS

Merchants throughout Europe have contended with bands of traveling thieves since the Middle Ages. Though many would call the characterization unfair, the Gypsies, of course, are all but synonymous with the phenomenon. Until quite recently, in fact, loss-prevention experts commonly referred to organized retail thieves as “gypsies.”

Europe’s long history matching wits with pickpockets and shoplifters of legendary skill may help explain why security consultants give the U.K. and other European countries such high marks for their anti-theft efforts. “They are light-years ahead of the U.S. when it comes to retail and other types of crime prevention,” said Liz Martinez, a security consultant and the author of The Retail Manager’s Guide to Crime & Loss Prevention.

Retailers in the U.K. are able to fight crime without breaking the bank by using simple and inexpensive techniques, says Martinez. “One of the techniques they use to good advantage is to place posters or cardboard cutouts of police or security officers, or mannequins dressed like them, in their stores,” she said. “Psychologically, it is proven that these methods are as effective as live officers in deterring crime.”

British retail and other businesses also fight crime by forming local initiatives such as the Barry (South Wales) Business Crime Reduction Partnership or the Eastbourne Business Crime Group. Dozens of these groups are active throughout the country. There is a national organization too, called Action Against Business Crime.

Given these efforts, no wonder British merchants reacted with outrage in August when a government-appointed panel recommended eliminating jail time for most shoplifters — including repeat offenders. The proposal, which remained under review at press time, “ignores the reality of what is happening in our towns and cities,” said Michael Schuck, chief executive of Action Against Business Crime, in a press release. “Persistent offenders are stealing or attempting to steal on a daily basis. … [R]emoving any moral impediment to theft is a gross error.”

— JG