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Once again,
retail robberies on the rise: Sweden's Handels points at risks with poor cash handling In Sweden, robberies in retail stores are on the rise again, after a slight drop last year. Last year, more than 900 robberies were registered, against 850 in 2003. January 2005 saw 101 robberies in retail stores, which causes deep concern for UNI Commerce affiliate Handels. The longer term trend shows that robberies are indeed increasing, Handels experts say. - It is serious that the number of robberies has permanently established itself at a level over 800 per year, says Ulrika Vedin, researcher at Handels, in union paper Handelsnytt. She also believes that the growth will continue. Stefan Eriksson, health and safety expert at Handels, blames poor handling of cash for part of the problem: - The number of robberies would go down considerably with the use of closed systems for handling cash, he says to Handelsnytt. He also calls on retailing to increase the use of payment cards instead. In contrast to bank robberies, retail crime are often not planned. - It is often young people or addicts who commit these, Ulrika Vedin says. - It is about getting fast money. - Shop opening hours are therefore important, as well as whether people work alone or in larger numbers. Handelsnytt says that the Swedish health and safety authorities have decided that there are stores which cannot be open too late because the risks are too big. - But the whole risk situation in commerce would benefit from a cut in late shop opening, says Ulrika Vedin. Handelsnytt confirms that statistics in Sweden show a strong relation between robberies and shop opening hours. |
