Crime at the Intersection of Rail and Retail

This chapter examines shoplifting at rail station shops over a twelve month period in England and Wales. Key findings were: shoplifting is concentrated at particular stations; the top 20 stations account for 85 percent of shoplifting. Clear temporal patterns were evident; shoplifting was higher on weekdays and during holidays with higher levels of travel; shoplifting is lower when there is a reduced rail service. There was no clear relationship between shoplifting rates outside of a station at shops nearby, and shoplifting within a rail station. It is suggested a correlation may occur for medium and smaller size stations. Large stations may attract offenders in their own right without other shops being nearby. The similarities observed between shoplifting patterns at rail stations and those at non-rail station shops suggest the learning from successful crime prevention measures applied outside of the rail environment could successfully be transferred to rail stations.