THEFT and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year, driven partly by criminal gangs, and are “out of control”, according to a report last Thursday (30).
The British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey found that more than 20 million thefts occurred in the year to August 31, 2024 – an average of 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion.
There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
Many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country, the BRC said.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023-24 climbed to more than 2,000 per day from 1,300 the year before.
“Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive,” said Helen Dickinson, head of the BRC.
Satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61 per cent of respondents describing it as “poor” or “very poor”, the report showed.
“With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse,” said Dickinson.
The BRC said the amount spent on crime prevention also hit a record high, with retailers investing £1.8bn on CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, up from £1.2bn in 2022-23.
Responding to the report, the police said they had made progress in 2024.
“Over the last year we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers and greatly improving information sharing which has resulted in a number of high harm offenders being brought to justice,” assistant chief constable Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for retail crime, said.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
It also plans to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
The issue of theft and violence has been raised by many of Britain’s biggest retailers over the last year, including Tesco, John Lewis and Primark, echoing similar reports in the United States and elsewhere.
Zia Yusuf