According to national crime statistics released Monday by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), robbery increased 1.3% across the country in 2022. The FBI also reported that convenience stores and gas stations combined were the site of 13.8% of robberies in 2022.

Meanwhile, the FBI reported that violent crime declined an estimated 1.7% in 2022. Combined, convenience stores and gas stations were the sites of 4.5% of violent crime in 2022, according to FBI data.

Despite mixed data released by the FBI, there are growing concerns of employee and customer safety, increased operating costs that stem from both losses to theft, heightened store security costs and the growing threat of organized retail crime across all retail.

With crime and security increasingly top of mind for retailers across the country, NACS is taking action to quantify losses and prioritize the actions the industry can take. Two separate NACS Show education sessions, “Creating a Safe Store Environment,” and “Securing the Retail Landscape: A Roundtable on Crime Prevention and Loss Mitigation” were among the highest-rated and best-attended education sessions at the 2023 NACS Show. 

To continue developing and sharing important resources for retailers, NACS is currently fielding an industry-wide crime and loss prevention survey. By participating in the survey, retailers can assist NACS in quantifying critical industry-specific challenges and help prioritize and guide strategic actions to address these challenges.

“We’re asking all convenience and fuels retailers to provide us with their input on how crime is impacting their operations,” said Lori Stillman, vice president of research and education at NACS. “As we assemble an industry-wide working group to address the most pressing needs of our members, these data will be invaluable to our efforts.”