Theft and Robbery Have Become an American Epidemic

Published in The People's Daily
(China) on 09 June 2023
by Xie Jianing (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Stephanie Pan. Edited by Michelle Bisson.
U.S. supermarket chain Whole Foods recently closed one of its branches in downtown San Francisco. According to the company, the frequent occurrence of crimes near the store, such as theft and robbery, caused public safety in the neighborhood to deteriorate, leaving the company with no other option but to temporarily shut down the branch in order to keep employees safe.

Walgreens, a large American pharmacy chain, also recently closed several stores in San Francisco. According to Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso, organized theft and robbery have seriously affected the normal operations of major retailers in San Francisco. “Retail theft across our San Francisco stores has continued to increase in the past few months to five times our chain average. During this time to help combat this issue, we increased our investments in security measures in stores across the city to 46 times our chain average in an effort to provide a safe environment.”

The 2022 National Retail Safety Survey released by the National Retail Federation showed that organized retail crime across the U.S. increased by 26.5% from 2021. Total retail-related losses amounted to $94.5 billion in 2021, up from $90.8 billion in 2020. According to its statistics, the products stolen the most were clothing, electronics and health and beauty products. The report also highlighted how the five cities most affected by similar crimes in the past year were Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Houston and Miami, respectively.

The newest data released by the San Francisco Police Department revealed that between 2020 and 2022, property crimes in the city increased by 23%, with a surge in burglary-related cases, causing widespread concern among the public. U.S. media reported that Hamid Moghadam, CEO of San Francisco-based real estate company Prologis Inc., was recently robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight outside his home. After the event, he wrote to local and state lawmakers on the matter saying: “[I am] ask[ing] for your immediate attention and action around crime in our city … we [San Francisco citizens] have no sense of security. Protecting public safety should be the government’s top priority — that is the foundation of a successful city.”

According to the 2022 National Retail Safety Survey, 70.8% of respondents reported that in areas where felony thresholds increased, retail crimes also increased. And 54.6% of retailers said that the cash bail policy reform in the U.S., which eliminates cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, is the primary reason for the substantial increase in repeat offenses. Many respondents call for the lowering of the felony threshold at the federal level and increased sentences for crimes such as theft and robbery.

As Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, noted, the retail industry is the largest private sector employer in the United States, contributing $3.9 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product each year and providing a quarter of jobs in the United States, benefiting approximately 52 million Americans. “Retail theft is becoming a national crisis, hurting businesses in every state and the communities they serve.”

Dr. Cory Lowe, a senior research scientist with the American Loss Prevention Research Council, said the U.S. government needs to intensify its investigations and strengthen communication and coordination between law enforcement agencies in order to contain the outbreak of theft and robbery crimes in multiple cities.


美国全食超市公司近日关闭了位于旧金山市中心的一家分店。该公司称,超市附近盗窃和抢劫等犯罪案件频发,导致街道治安状况恶化,公司不得不暂时关闭这家分店以确保员工安全。

  美国大型连锁药局沃尔格林近期也关闭了数家位于旧金山的门店。沃尔格林发言人菲尔·卡鲁索表示,有组织的盗窃抢劫犯罪严重影响旧金山各大零售商的正常经营。“在过去数月,我们位于旧金山的门店遭遇的盗窃抢劫事件持续增加,是全国连锁店平均水平的5倍。为解决这一问题,我们为旧金山全部分店投入的安保费用达到了全国连锁店平均水平的46倍。”

  美国零售联合会公布的《2022年全国零售安全调查》报告显示,美国全境有组织的针对零售业的犯罪较2021年增加了26.5%。2021年零售业相关总损失额达到945亿美元,高于2020年的908亿美元。据统计,被盗窃最多的商品是服装、电子产品及健康美容产品。报告指出,过去一年受相关犯罪影响较大的前5名城市分别是洛杉矶、旧金山、纽约、休斯敦和迈阿密。

  旧金山市警察局发布的最新数据显示,2020年至2022年间,该市财产类犯罪增加了23%,入室盗窃等案件激增,引发民众广泛担忧。据美国媒体报道,总部位于旧金山的安博房地产公司首席执行官哈米德·莫哈达姆日前在家门口光天化日之下遭到持枪抢劫。事后,他就此事致函市政府和州政府:“必须针对犯罪行为采取行动。维护公共安全应是政府的首要任务,这也是一个城市发展的基石。作为一名旧金山市民,我没有感受到安全。”

  根据《2022年全国零售安全调查》报告,70.8%的受访者表示,在重罪门槛提高的地区,针对零售业的犯罪案件有所增加。54.6%的零售商认为,美国改革现金保释政策,大多数轻罪和非暴力重罪都不用现金保释,是重复犯罪大幅增加的主要原因。很多受访者呼吁在联邦层面降低重罪门槛,加大对盗窃抢劫等犯罪的处罚力度。

  美国商会执行副总裁兼首席政策官尼尔·布拉德利表示,零售业是美国最大的私营部门雇佣方,每年为美国国内生产总值贡献3.9万亿美元,提供了美国1/4的工作岗位,约5200万美国人从中受益。“盗窃抢劫已经成为美国的一种流行病,影响各种规模的企业。”

  美国防损研究委员会高级研究科学家科里·劳表示,美国政府应加大调查力度,执法部门之间应强化沟通协调,努力遏制多个城市频发的盗窃抢劫犯罪。
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