Violence, robbery, threats and abuse are all in a day's work for independent shopkeepers who are increasingly on the front line. As one store owner says bluntly: "My feeling is that it's far more dangerous to be an Asian shopkeeper than a fireman, policeman or even a member of the SAS." But it's not just Asian retailers who face the problem. A straw poll by The Grocer (see p27) revealed that many store owners in all communities live in fear of their lives. According to Sergeant Gurpal Virdi of New Scotland Yard's community safety and partnership policy unit, no-one is safe. "Crime against retailers is common across all communities," he says. The British Retail Consortium's assistant director of retail crime policy Michael Schuck details the rise in violence: "In 1999, four per 1,000 employees were victims of violence and in 2000 it was five per 1,000. In 1999 there were 18 cases of violence per 100 retail outlets, but in 2000, there were 29 cases per 100 outlets." But there are few details on the types of crime. This needs to be rectified, says Virdi. "The last research on racial attacks was in 1988. There isn't any breakdown of figures or records. That's why we're calling for a better picture from the Home Office. Then we can properly direct our resources." According to the BRC, about 75% of all physical violence stemmed from customer theft in 2000. Schuck says this makes trying to stop someone stealing one of the most dangerous things you can do. Figures on the level of racially motivated crime are sadly lacking, as are testaments from ethnic retailers. Zaffar Hussain, racial harassment advice co-ordinator with the Derby Racial Equality Council, agrees that's a problem: "There is a reluctance to report incidents, and although people are becoming more confident of reporting, the numbers are still very low." But racism is not always the cause of robbery and attacks, says Hussain. "These things don't necessarily start off as racial. Often they stem from little things, a simple dispute, which then escalates into racial abuse." The BRC's Schuck echoes this, saying that if an Asian shopkeeper attempts to stop a thief, it's only then that racism becomes an issue. He says their colour doesn't always make them a target. "It's down to location and the types of products the retailer sells. They're often on their own, day in day out, and they're an obvious target." Ethnic minorities make up a big part of the c-store market which proportionately means they are attacked more than white retailers. The NFRN has just conducted a survey, and although the results have yet to be published, parliamentary liaison manager Rob Gunning says it supports the premise that small independents are at greater risk. "We've found that micro businesses are suffering disproportionally. That is simply down to the fact they lack the resources to invest in elaborate security equipment." The simple fact that town centres are now far more secure with crime reduction schemes, CCTV and retailer partnerships means that criminals have been forced to look elsewhere. This means the less well protected, small, independent operators are finding themselves firmly in their sights. As ACS chief executive David Rae says, they are more at risk: "Convenience stores are often located in isolated areas and they are open long hours, often late into the night which makes them vulnerable to criminal attack." Maqsood Sheikh runs a Costcutter store in London's Harrow Road and has been attacked on numerous attacks over the last few years. One incident, when two youths attacked him with a machete in front of a shop full of customers, left him with 15 stitches in his head. At one stage he was reporting about 20 incidents of theft, robbery or threats of violence to the police every month. Installing CCTV and opening an adjacent cab office with more people on hand to help has helped reduce the amount of violent crime, but Sheikh says he is constantly on alert and feels at risk of attack. He believes the shop's open-all-hours policy means he's more prone to visits from drunks after hours. "The incidents aren't always connected to theft or robberies ­ they're often unrelated and happen when people are drunk or are racially motivated." Only last week two teenage girls were arrested by the police for kicking in his front door, only to reappear later that day to smash in a window as retribution. Sheikh believes this highlights a flaw in the judicial system and reckons the police need stronger powers as well as tougher penalties for young offenders. He's vowed to keep up the shop, but says it won't remain a family business. "I've put every penny I've got into this shop and I've got no option to carry on, but I won't encourage my children to get involved and face these dangers." The ACS and the BRC are calling on the government to deal with this issue, with financial help to buy equipment and by introducing tougher sentencing, something the government is currently reviewing in a White Paper. Shuck says: "Retailers invite customers to come in which means presenting an open and defenceless face to attackers, and that needs to be recognised by the way the law deals with it. Simply fining someone £50 is not appropriate. We need to make it very clear that this crime is unacceptable." The root cause of all this violence is, according to the BRC, drugs. It says about 65% of store theft is drug related which Schuck believes makes people unpredictable and prone to violence at any time. It is calling for a change to the government's drugs policy. "We have to deal with drug addicts as a social and medical issue, not a criminal issue," says Schuck. "The present policies are not working, it's simply criminalising people, and the only people getting rich at the moment are the drug dealers." Although the government has made some money available ­ £15m to allow victims of crime in deprived areas to buy security equipment ­ most groups agree more should be done and that it should be available in all areas. The NFRN's Gunning points out that anyone can be a victim: "It's not just linked to geography, it's down to the size and vulnerability of the business." Both the BRC and the ACS also want 100% tax relief for retailers investing in security equipment. A spokesman for the Home Office says crime is an issue that is being addressed and adds that a further £20m is being made available to crime reduction partnerships across the UK. He adds: "Although that's not specifically available to retailers, there's nothing to stop them making a case to their local initiative to gain some of that money." Home Secretary David Blunkett also announced this week that youths as young as 12 will be jailed in young offenders' institutes until their cases reach trial instead of being freed on bail, in a bid to tackle teenage street crime. The ACS's public affairs and communications manager James Lowman says it's an important step in the right direction. "I think our members will be pleased. It's in our stores that a lot of career criminals start out, from the theft of a Mars bar onwards." n {{COVER FEATURE }}