Co-op’s official figures reveal that its technology collaboration with Devon and Cornwall Police has produced a near-60% clearance rate, roughly twice the police department’s typical solve percentage for shop-theft cases reported via conventional means, according to recent pilot analysis.
It connects multiple offences committed by the same individual, and builds stronger cases against prolific offenders. The system creates closer collaboration with police both at a local and central level, Co-op said, driving stronger crime-solving outcomes.
Store colleagues upload incident details, CCTV, photos and impact statement, enabling police to record and allocate the crime in as little as 30 minutes—a process that could take up to seven days using traditional methods. The system eliminates the need for investigating officers to approach retailers for evidence, saving time for both parties. As a result, the average time taken for investigations to be completed and assigned an outcome has been slashed by more than a third to 35 days.
Discussions are underway with additional police forces to expand the model.
“The results from this pilot have been extremely impressive,” said Chris Chaloner, business crime sergeant for Devon & Cornwall Police. “The evidence provided through the platform is available to officers immediately, allowing investigations to progress much more quickly.”
Chaloner emphasized that the approach helps link crimes and identify prolific offenders responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail crime. “We know that a relatively small number of individuals commit a large volume of offences,” he said. “By working closely with retailers, building effective partnership and receiving high-quality evidence, we can take earlier action, secure more charges and achieve better outcomes for our high streets and communities.”
Co-op’s own retail crime levels are falling, with the retailer expecting its lowest levels since the pandemic. Overall retail crime at Co-op is down almost 20 per cent year-on-year, while incidents of anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse have reduced by more than a third (35 per cent), alongside a double-digit drop in physical assaults.
However, Co-op remains cautiously optimistic. Retail crime levels remain double those seen pre-pandemic, following the shop crime surge at the start of the decade. The convenience retailer stressed that continued cooperation among retailers, police and government is needed to bring about meaningful, sustained and lasting change to tackling retail crime and its underlying causes.
“The success of this initiative demonstrates the benefits that we know can be realised when retailers and police work together,” said Paul Gerrard, director – campaigns, public affairs and policy at Co-op. “We have seen that offenders can be identified and investigations can progress much faster, and, importantly for everyone, outcomes improve significantly.”
The fact that a high proportion of crimes are carried out by repeat and prolific offenders highlights why early intervention is so important, every successful investigation has the potential to prevent many future offences from blighting our high streets and local communities, Gerrard added.
