Civil Recovery is the use of Civil Law remedies to reclaim directly from an offender committing a theft, including the costs associated with the prevention and investigation of such acts. Civil Recovery used in addition to - independent of - any criminal action. There are 75 major retailers in the National Civil Recovery Programme including ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury, HMV, Bhs, Debenhams, B&Q and Boots the Chemist. Any company can join the programme as long as they can meet its quality requirements.
The most likely amount demanded from a customer thief is between £60 and £150.
Wrongdoers are also reported to the police for criminal action. Civil recovery is also used against staff offenders, and full costs of both losses, and cost of investigation, are recovered from internal offenders.
A set of procedures or standards has been agreed with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Civil Recovery for external theft is usually for a set fee which is a proportion of the costs involved. The actual cost of dealing with an offender are often much higher than the CR demand. If the cost isn't recovered, then it will be the retailer who pays, which ultimately means we all pay through higher prices. Where a retailer can prove a significant scale of crime by an individual offender, there are a number of avenues to consider including Civil Recovery under the Serious Crime Act 2007 via SOCA.
A person who is in receipt of a Civil Recovery demand can of course challenge this legally through the courts and take legal advice from a solicitor. Legal advice is often not free, and Civil Recovery is an accepted process built on case law. Most retailers have a prominant sign on the entrance to their premises, advising everyone entering the store that the retailer participates in a scheme, and any crime committed will lead to a Civil Recovery demand in addition to criminal action and police involvement.
Civil Recovery Solutions Limited (CRS) offers the next generation in specialist civil recovery and civil litigation services. CRS combines a team of highly experienced personnel with powerful new technology and bespoke tools to manage the civil recovery process extremely effectively and efficiently. The CRS model is radically different; its flexibility allows for a tailored solution and professional consultancy, ensuring you achieve maximised and measurable value from your civil recovery strategy.
Drydens has extensive experience in establishing and managing complete civil recovery schemes for a number of high street retailers. Drydens civil recovery solution is web based which enables ease and speed of instruction and allows access to individual case information and portfolio statistics on a store, regional and national level
RLP Limited pioneered the introduction of Civil Recovery into the U.K. in 1998 and implemented the National Civil Recovery Programme. RLP are dedicated civil litigators specialising in the growth of Civil Recovery within the U.K. as a strong deterrent to customer and staff theft, refund/discount fraud, price swap, collusion, malicious damage, robbery and loss of trade.
