Many Retail Crime initiatives RGDATA sought are included in Government Programme

RGDATA has welcomed specific commitments to tackle retail crime in the new Programme for Government including:

•  Publishing a Retail Crime Strategy with targeted actions to reduce retail crime and support affected businesses.
•  Update the Public Order Acts to allow a prolific offender of retail crime to be excluded from a premises (time period)
•  Support Garda Operations to tackle retail crime including through the use of organised crime and proceeds of crime legislation.
• Examine the introduction of a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker.
• Introduce a new grant scheme for anti theft and prevention measures.
• Improve data sharing between retailers and Gardaí.
• Expand the use of community sanctions for retail crime.
• Tackle the practice of ‘retail defamation.’