Marks & Spencer boss warns crime is getting ‘more brazen’
The manager of Marks & Spencer has warned that high street crime is becoming “more brazen, more organized and more aggressive”, with retail staff facing daily harassment and violence. T
Hinus Keeve has called on the Government and City Hall in London to tackle anti-social behaviour, arguing that large groups of young people, often encouraged by social media, are flooding shopping districts.
In a statement on the retail giant’s website, Mr Keeve said: “We are powerless without a government that seriously tackles crime and a Mayor who prioritizes effective policing.
“We need a stronger, faster and more consistent police response that uses the tools already available to target repeat offenders and crime hotspots.
“And we need much more transparency around crime so that the true scale and impact is understood and resources can be used to target it.”
Mr Keeve said M&S CEO Stuart Machin had written to the Home Secretary and he had written to the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, about the issue.
It comes after teenagers in Clapham, south London, last week arranged to meet up as part of “hookups” using social media apps such as TikTok and Snapchat before flocking to shops.
Nearly 100 officers responded to antisocial behavior on Tuesday, according to the Metropolitan Police. Five people, including four police officers, were attacked.
On Thursday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said a 48-hour dispersal order was in place covering Rochdale town center until 11.30am on Saturday.
Groups of youths were reported to have harassed staff and caused criminal damage at a workplace and city center on Wednesday.
Inspector Meena Yasin, of GMP’s Rochdale area, said: “We introduced this order to provide officers in the area with greater powers to vigorously tackle anti-social behavior and protect people and businesses.
In a statement titled Retail crime is eroding trust in our High Streets, Mr Keeve said: “It is becoming more brazen, more organized and more aggressive.
“This is a clear request: Support our police, help them show up in our communities when and where we need them.
“Give them the resources they need to fight crime effectively and enable them to work with retailers to consistently use the tools we have developed for data sharing and to help them actively target criminals.
“It’s not complicated. There’s talent. There’s data. The investment has been made. Time’s up, we need to get this done now.”
He said he saw “pain” in store employees and customers following the attacks.
“Too many people face theft, intimidation and verbal and physical abuse as part of their daily reality,” he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
“It affects welfare and drives people away from the industry.
“When stores become unsafe, we’re not just failing retail workers, we’re failing the next generation of workforce.”
Sir Sadiq condemned the images of teenagers in Clapham as “completely unacceptable” and said further arrests were likely within days as officers examined CCTV and body-worn video.
He warned that “criminals will face the full force of the law” and said police were working with social media companies to block “viral online content that encourages violence and theft”.
Sir Sadiq said: “Not only did they spread fear in the local community, but attacking and intimidating hard-working retail staff and police officers are also serious offences.”
The Met is taking a “zero tolerance approach to all forms of criminality”, increasing the number of officers in hotspot areas and potentially using dispersal orders.
