Retail crime ‘spiralling out of control’ to more than 2,000 incidents a day
Over the last year, there were 70 incidents a day which involved a weapon – more than double the previous year, an annual BRC survey has found.
Retail crime is “spiralling out of control” at more than 2,000 incidents a day, according to the latest figures.
Incidents including racial and sexual abuse, physical assault and threats with weapons have reached three times the level they were in 2020, when there were 455 incidents a day, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Annual Crime Survey shows.
Over the last year, there were 70 incidents a day which involved a weapon – more than double the previous year.
Some 61% of respondents described the police response to incidents as “poor” or “very poor”, although 3% described it as “excellent” – the first time in five years that any retailers have rated it as such.
Theft also reached an all-time high with more than 20 million incidents – or over 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion, up from £1.8 billion the previous year.
Gangs systematically targeted stores across the country, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods and rotating around multiple stores, the BRC’s survey found.
The amount spent on crime prevention is also at a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion the previous year.
The total cost of crime reached £4.2 billion, up from £3.3 billion, limiting investment and “pushing up prices for customers everywhere”, the BRC warned.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “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. We owe it to the three million hard-working people working in retail to bring the epidemic of crime to heel. No one should go to work in fear.
“With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse.
“Retailers are spending more than ever before, but they cannot prevent crime alone. We need the police to respond to and handle every reported incident appropriately.
“We look forward to seeing crucial legislation to protect retail workers being put in place later this year. Only if the industry, Government and police work together, can we finally see this awful trend reverse.”
Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “The scale of the epidemic of retail crime is laid bare in this shocking BRC report.
“Crime has a very direct impact on the viability of stores, as retailers go to increasing lengths and expense to make them secure and safe. Communities are blighted by anti-social behaviour and store closures. Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence.
“We have campaigned along with the BRC for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the Government will be introducing the Crime and Policing Bill, which will meet our aims. That is only part of the fightback against the criminals and we will continue to work closely with retailers to deliver respect for shop workers.”
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of retail industry charity the Retail Trust, said: “Almost half of the retail workers we’ve surveyed told us they currently fear for their safety and nearly two thirds are stressed and anxious going to work due to this unacceptable level of retail crime. People are contacting our helpline in their thousands to report horrifying incidents of abuse and violence and many say that they are now at breaking point.
“Retailers are taking the threat to their staff’s physical safety extremely seriously and more and more of them are working with the Retail Trust to reduce the terrible toll it is having on their people’s mental well-being. But stronger measures are clearly needed to prevent this criminal behaviour from happening in the first place.”
Paul Gerrard, Co-op director of campaigns and public affairs, said: “As a community-based retailer, we see the corrosive impact of retail crime and anti-social behaviour in society and communities.
“Since the Retail Crime Action Plan was published, we have seen an improvement in police attention and our stores have shown signs of recorded crime stabilising or reducing, but numbers are still far too high and our focus on reducing retail crime and ensuring the safety of stores and communities remains a priority.
“More must be done to tackle root causes and prevent re-offending, and we know that effective partnerships can help, as neither business nor police can solve this alone.”
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “The rising levels of shop theft and violence against retail staff are utterly unacceptable.
“We will not stand for this. That is why this Government has made clear we will introduce a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and end the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods under £200.
“And it is why as part of our Safer Streets Mission we are restoring neighbourhood policing, putting thousands of dedicated officers and community support officers back on our streets, and ensuring every community has a named local officer they can turn to.”
