NCJ Number
138984
Date Published
1992
Length
120 pages
Annotation
A survey of approximately 1,000 retail store owners was conducted in the Netherlands in 1991 to examine the level of victimization, criminal damage, level of reporting, and preventive measures. The types of crime included in the survey included theft, burglary, graffiti, vandalism, robbery, and threats to employees.
Abstract
Victimization among retail stores is higher -- 63 percent in 1991 -- than the average crime rate in the total business sphere in the Netherlands. In 1991, 2.5 million crimes were committed at a cost of $790 million. Theft of merchandise accounted for the highest proportion of crime and damage; burglary was the second most common crime committed against retailers. Types of retail businesses at highest risk of victimization were department stores, officer stationery stores, and appliance stores. Only 10 percent of the crimes were reported to the police. While store owners did take preventive measures, they favored organizational and cheap technical measures over more expensive electronic security systems. There was little cooperation between retail owners in terms of crime prevention. Compared to previous crime surveys, the incidence of crimes committed against retailers has decreased, but total damages have increased during the same period.