Walmart in Atlanta is adding a POLICE STATION to store when it reopens after shoplifters set it on fire – as retail chain battles to crackdown on rampant theft

A Walmart in Atlanta will add a distinctive feature to combat shoplifting: an on-site police station or mini-precinct that will also serve as a deterrent for shoplifters and a workspace for officers.

The store will open in May 2024, following a closure of almost a year after shoplifters set fire to the building to distract from their thefts.

The Walmart fire was one of several arsons involving major retailers, such as Target and another Walmart, in Atlanta.

This unprecedented decision comes after retailers lost nearly $100 billion due to theft, with incidents often involving violent crime.

This unprecedented decision comes after retailers lost nearly $100 billion due to theft, with incidents often involving violent crime. CEO Doug McMillon has said theft is at an all-time high

The store will open in May 2024, following a closure of almost a year after shoplifters set fire to the building to distract from their theft (suspect is pictured)

Walmart alone lost as much as $3 billion annually due to theft and shoplifting incidents.

In addition to acting as a deterrent to criminal activity, the mini-districts will also function as a place where officers can recharge their batteries and do paperwork.

The decision follows discussions among city officials, business leaders and community members who expressed a desire for an increased police presence in the area.

Mayor Andre Dickens said Walmart will receive a $1.5 million initiative aimed at expanding access to fresh groceries in low-income communities, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.

After the arson incident, Dickens said he “engaged Walmart directly to ensure this store would reopen,” underscoring his commitment to providing accessible and affordable items to the many low-income residents in the city of Vine.

“You’re thinking about going into this Walmart to commit shoplifting or a robbery or whatever. You see the APD logo and you say, ‘ah, not today,'” Dickens told the community during a meeting discussing the new concept.

He assured the public that police presence in the area will increase.

“After talking to the Merchants Association on MLK Drive and Clark University and others in the area, people said they wanted to see more police presence,” Mayor Andre Dickens said, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.

Walmart announced the decision to reopen the damaged store in January.

Walmart alone lost as much as $3 billion annually due to theft and shoplifting incidents. Major retailers in the US have been forced to close stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues major stores across the country

Walmart decided to permanently close the store at 1801 Howell Mill Road in Berkeley Park – another location that had been closed since mid-December after an arson incident

After the arson incident, Dickens said he “engaged Walmart directly to ensure this store would reopen,” underscoring his commitment to providing accessible and affordable items to the many low-income residents in the city of Vine.

Target has announced it will close four stores in three cities in the coming months after losing an extraordinary $400 million in profits last November due to organized gangs of shoplifters.

However, the company decided to permanently close the store at 1801 Howell Mill Road in Berkeley Park – another location that had been closed since mid-December following an arson incident.

More than two dozen other Walmart locations in the US have closed their doors so far this year, many due to “underperformance.”

While the company has not stated that shoplifting is the cause of the low performance levels, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said theft is becoming an increasing problem in stores across the U.S. — and if the problem continues, it could lead to store closures, according to CNBC . .

In recent years, more and more major retailers in the US have been forced to close stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues major stores across the country.

In April, Walmart announced it would close four of its stores in Chicago, just weeks after America’s largest employer closed its only stores in Portland.

Target has announced it will close four stores in three cities in the coming months after losing an extraordinary $400 million in profits last November due to organized gangs of shoplifters.

It comes at a time when shoplifting is reaching alarming levels and other major retailers, including Target, Macy’s and Best Buy, are now making good on threats against shuttered stores if petty crime does not decrease.

In 2021, retailers lost a total of $94.5 billion due to shrinkage, a term used to describe theft and other forms of inventory loss. And according to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey, organized retail crime incidents increased by 26.5 percent in the same year.

In addition to brazen daylight thefts, self-checkouts have also made it easier for people to walk out without paying for items.

Progressive prosecutors in cities like Chicago, New York, Portland and California have also been blamed for effectively legalizing shoplifting by not prosecuting thefts under $950, or letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist.