Waitrose offers police free coffees to deter thieves

Waitrose and John Lewis are offering escaped blistery drinks to on-duty constabulary officers successful a bid to deter shoplifters.

John Lewis Partnership, which owns some brands, has written to the Police Federation to accidental officers tin marque the astir of the connection - arsenic agelong arsenic they bring a reusable cup.

Its caput of information said that adjacent conscionable having a constabulary car parked extracurricular mightiness deter would-be thieves.

It comes arsenic different shops person reported soaring levels of retail crime.

In Waitrose, constabulary officers and assemblage enactment officers volition beryllium capable to get drinks from the in-store java machines.

The supermarket utilized to person a generous connection of escaped teas and coffees for each shoppers who had a loyalty card.

That strategy was tweaked successful 2017, truthful customers present person to marque a acquisition in-store earlier they tin assertion a escaped portion from its self-service machines utilizing a reusable cup. It was besides paused during the pandemic.

In John Lewis, constabulary officers volition beryllium capable to usage unit cafeterias for breaks and bargain discounted nutrient determination too.

Nicki Juniper, caput of information for the John Lewis Partnership, said: "Retail transgression is simply a nationalist occupation and requires a nationalist solution.

"Just having a constabulary car parked extracurricular tin marque radical deliberation doubly astir shoplifting from our branches, oregon becoming assertive towards our partners [staff]."

The radical said its seat Dame Sharon White had besides written to Home Secretary Suella Braverman calling for tougher enactment against repetition and convulsive offenders.

With a emergence successful incidents connected the store floor, it has besides had to summation spending connected the fig of guards and unit it employs who are trained to halt and detain shoplifters.

It has besides trialled what it called "love bombing" successful immoderate of its stores - being other attentive to customers, including asking if assistance is needed astatine self-checkouts, to enactment arsenic a imaginable deterrent.

The convenience store concatenation Co-op has besides called for action aft transgression successful its outlets deed grounds levels, expanding by much than a 3rd implicit a year.

There were astir 1,000 cases of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour successful its shops each time successful the six months to June, the concatenation said.

It adjacent suggested that immoderate communities could yet go "no-go" areas, with retail transgression driven by "repeat and prolific offenders and, organised transgression gangs".

Its transgression survey suggested that astir 850 incidents were taking spot each day, with unit facing carnal battle and being threatened with weapons connected immoderate occasions.

Data, analysed by the BBC, shows shoplifting offences person returned to pre-pandemic levels arsenic the outgo of surviving rises.

The British Retail Consortium antecedently told the BBC that these precocious level of theft outgo retailers astir £1bn successful the 2021 fiscal year, "money that would beryllium amended utilized to trim prices and put successful a amended lawsuit experience."