2023-09-13 20:40:50
The association of manufacturers and distributors Aecoc denounced this Wednesday the increase in theft in Spanish businesses. According to the data of Aecoc, in 2022 they reached a total of 642,500 cases, 30.2% more than the previous year. The reform of the Penal Code introduced a year ago to impose prison sentences of 6 to 18 months in the case of multiple recidivism – provided that the combined value of four thefts exceeds 400 euros – has not had a disincentive effect for criminals.
The association understands that placing a value of 400 euros for increase the penalty for multiple recidivism In thefts, it allows various minor criminal acts to be carried out, which ends in a “serious problem” for commerce. Aecoc recalls that at the time of the reform it already warned that this limit of 400 euros left out a good part of multiple recidivism, since 90% of the commercial thefts that occur are of a value less than 90 euros.
Professional criminal thing
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The rise in prices and interest rates could indicate a cause for the increase in theft, but the truth is that the data suggests that 80% of criminal acts are carried out by professionals, not out of economic necessity. The association considers that the need to have to know the value of the theft from the records to calculate whether the combined value of the stolen items exceeds 400 euros makes the regulations less effective, since there is no centralized registry with this data available to the judges.
To reduce the incidence of commercial theft, Aecoc suggests that the punishment of multiple recidivism be prioritized, regardless of the economic value of the thefts committed. Above all, taking into account that external theft, according to data from the association, generates losses of more than 800 million euros in businesses, which represents 0.35% of the sector’s total turnover.
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