350 Convenience Store Crimes Last Year
"Need for Change in Crime Response Methods"
Despite various safety devices installed in convenience stores to prevent crime, the number of crimes occurring in convenience stores has been increasing every year. Experts pointed out the limited effectiveness of the commonly used emergency safety bells and suggested changing the crime response method from a concealed system to an exposed one.
According to the '2023 Crime Statistics' published by the National Police Agency, there were a total of 350 crimes in convenience stores last year, a 9.7% increase compared to 319 cases in 2022. Crimes in convenience stores have increased annually over the past three years, with 273 cases in 2021, 319 in 2022, and 350 in 2023. The most common type of crime was sexual assault (85.3%), followed by robbery (11.2%) and arson (1.1%).
Convenience stores have a high crime rate compared to other commercial facilities such as large marts and supermarkets due to their accessibility, high possibility of criminal escape, and the prevalence of single-person work shifts. As various incidents targeting convenience store workers continued, in 2017, nationwide franchise convenience store branches signed a business agreement with the National Police Agency to promote the installation of 'emergency safety bells' inside convenience stores. The safety bell is a device that allows convenience store workers to press a hidden button on the POS machine or counter for a few seconds, which immediately sends a report to the nearby police station or precinct, prompting police dispatch.
A representative from the Korea Convenience Store Industry Association said, "Among various methods such as wired reporting, which automatically notifies the nearby police station when the landline phone is hung up, and safe reporting networks where a report is sent by placing a smartphone near a sticker embedded with an NFC chip, the safety bell is judged to be the most effective, so we are currently expanding and installing safety bells. We understand that most convenience stores equipped with CCTV currently have safety bells installed," they said.
However, among on-site workers, there are voices expressing difficulty in feeling the crime prevention effect of the emergency safety bell. The safety bell is considered more of a post-incident measure, and there is a delay from the moment the button is pressed to the actual police dispatch, making it difficult to guarantee the safety of workers in urgent situations. Because of this, store owners and part-time workers are also considering purchasing self-defense items and hiding them inside the store.
Park (39), who operates a convenience store in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, said, "Recently, a drunken customer verbally abused and picked a fight with a part-time worker during the early morning hours, so I bought a self-defense spray and hid it in the store, informing the part-time worker as well. I know about the emergency bell, but in urgent situations, we cannot just rely on the bell and wait for the police to arrive," he lamented.
Experts advised that an exposed response method might be more effective in preventing crime than the current concealed system. Professor Kim Sang-gyun of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University said, "Instead of hiding the emergency bell as is done now, exposing the safety device externally to indicate that the police can be dispatched at any time can deter criminal intent. Simply installing transparent protective shields around workers can also serve as a warning to criminals," he advised. Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of the Department of Police and Judicial Studies at Dongguk University also explained, "Displaying warning signs indicating that various safety devices are installed throughout the convenience store can itself reduce criminal intent."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
