"The hearing, sponsored by Councilor Ed Flynn, comes as retailers across the city continue to sound the alarm about rising theft. In my opinion, we have to have zero tolerance for stealing, Flynn said at the hearing. It hurts small businesses. It hurts the residents. It hurts the consumer. It hurts the City of Boston. Flynn said retail theft threatens the economic viability of local businesses, neighborhood safety, and residents' quality of life."
"When theft becomes routine and unchecked, neighborhoods suffer, said Paul McLaughlin, the Boston Police Department superintendent and chief of Bureau of Investigative Services, at the hearing. Local retailers shut their doors, jobs disappear, and residents begin to feel less secure in the places that they live and shop. To combat that, McLaughlin said the Boston Police Department launched the Safe Shopping Initiative in March 2024 with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office."
Shoplifting is a persistent problem in Boston's busiest retail districts, affecting Back Bay, South End, Downtown Crossing, and South Bay Center in Dorchester. Retail theft undermines small business viability, neighborhood safety, and residents' quality of life, prompting calls for zero tolerance. The Boston Police Department and Suffolk County District Attorney's Office launched the Safe Shopping Initiative in March 2024 to use shoplifting data and business reports to identify trends, coordinate prevention strategies, and reduce store closures. Improved data sharing has increased theft reporting and revealed patterns, including thefts driven by need and organized reselling of stolen goods for economic gain.
Read at www.boston.com
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