A campaign has been launched by the British Retail Consortium to push retail crime higher up the political agenda.

The campaign - Stop Crime Against Retail (SCAR) - calls for stronger and more consistent penalties to deter criminals. The BRC wants the government to work with the retail sector to raise awareness of the impact of violence against staff. It also wants to make it easier for victims to report crime. BRC director general Kevin Hawkins said: “Retail crime leaves deep scars on business viability, retail staff and the community.”

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