Organized retail crime may have decreased very slightly last year, according to a new National Retail Federation study, but it remains a massive problem and the nation’s largest cities are especially prone to organized activities.

NRF’s ninth annual Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Survey found that 93.5% of retailers said they had been a victimized by organized retail crime during the past year, down slightly from 96% the prior year. For the past three years, more than 90% of the retailers surveyed said they were victims of ORC. Eight in 10 of those surveyed believe that ORC activity in general in the United States has increased over the past three years.

“We are extremely concerned by the organized patterns that are taking place in the retail industry right now as these crime gangs continue to find ways to maneuver the system,” said NRF vp of loss prevention Rich Mellor. “Though retailers continue to make great strides in their fight against organized retail crime, savvy, unconscionable criminals are selling stolen merchandise for a profit that doesn’t belong to them.”

According to the study, which included participation from 77 loss prevention executives representing all retail channels, the 10 cities with the worst organized retail crime are, in alphabetical order:

Atlanta
Baltimore
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York
Northern New Jersey
San Francisco/Oakland

The list basically mirrors the nation’s 10 largest urban areas which is not surprising considering high concentrations of people and convenient store locations equal increased opportunity for thieves and more outlets for stolen goods.

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