The retail crime epidemic is continuing to escalate, as shopworkers suffered record levels of violence, abuse and theft over the past year.
According to the latest British Retail Consortium annual crime survey, incidents of violence and abuse climbed 53% to over 2,000 per day, spanning racial abuse, sexual harassment and physical assault.
There were also 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.
The trade body said the level of crime over the past year equated to more than three times what was experienced in 2020, when there were 455 incidents a day.
Despite rising cases, dissatisfaction with the police increased, with 61% of respondents describing the police response to incidents as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.
Another 29% rated the response as ‘fair’, a further 6% said it was ‘good’, while 3% described it as ‘excellent’, which was the first time in five years that any retailers have rated it as such.
Theft also reached an all-time high with over 20 million incidents reported, amounting to over 55,000 per day and costing retailers £2.2bn, up from £1.8bn the previous year.
Despite their losses, retailers invested a record £1.8bn in crime prevention measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras, up from £1.2bn the previous year.
This takes the total cost of crime to an “eye-watering” £4.2bn, adding to wider cost pressures retailers are facing from rising staff wages and operational costs.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and antisocial behaviour, including removing the £200 threshold of ‘low-level’ theft and introducing a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
“Retail crime is spiralling out of control,” said BRC CEO Helen Dickinson. “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 hardworking people 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.”
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