NCJ Number
73670
Date Published
Unknown
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Following an overview of the extent and character of crime against business and some efforts to prevent is, this article discusses terrorism and shoplifting as particular offenses against businesses.
Abstract
In 1976, crime-related losses of retail stores reached an estimated $7.2 billion nationally, up 65 percent from 1971. Other industry losses since 1971 have also soared; wholesalers' losses were up 54 percent to $2.6 billion; manufacturers' losses, up 50 percent to $3.5 billion; and service industries' losses, up 57 percent to $4.7 billion. A high percentage of these losses was due to employee theft. One organization attempting to deal with this problem is the National Crime Prevention Association. It is a national business-supported organization concerned exclusively with crime prevention. The activities of this organization include a central information exchange of crime prevention data, the development of standards for security devices, and the formulation of guidelines for community crime prevention programs. Since the latter part of the 1960's, many businesses in America have been targeted for terrorist activity. Businesses must either invest in adequate security procedures or face the possibility of extensive losses from terrorist activity. Four factors contributing to the phenomenal increase in the major crime of incidental shoplifting are a widely-held public attitude that shoplifting is not wrong; inconsistent arrests, prosecution, and court responses to shoplifting offenses; an inability of legal systems to impose significant penalties on juvenile shoplifters; and lack of concise and reliable information on which merchants can base aggressive actions against shoplifters. Shoplifting could be curtailed through a well-planned coordinated approach involving law enforcement, business representatives, and community leaders.