Cost of theft soars to £1.8 billion in BRC’s latest Retail Crime Survey

These worrying figures emerge despite retailers having invested heavily in crime prevention, spending no less than £1.2 billion on measures such as CCTV, increased numbers of security personnel and the introduction of body-worn cameras. Overall spend on security measures is up from £722 million when compared to the previous review period.

Further, the aforementioned total cost of theft to retailers escalating to £1.8 billion from £953 million the previous year effectively means that the total cost of crime to retailers now stands at £3.3 billion. That’s double the previous year’s figure.

Violence and abuse

The BRC’s annual Retail Crime Survey highlights the scale of violence and abuse faced by individuals working in the sector. Incidents including racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assault and threats with weapons are now on a par with the levels witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, retail staff often bore the brunt of frustrations with COVID-related safety measures put in place by the Government.

While the total number of incidents climbed, dissatisfaction with the police service has increased, with 60% of respondents describing the police response to incidents as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

Retailers are calling on the Government to introduce a standalone offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker. This would send a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, in turn making retail workers feel safer in the workplace.

It would also mean the police service can call upon collated data that allows them to understand the scale of the issue and then allocate sufficient resources to deal with it. This would ensure that retail workers have the same protections under the law as they do in Scotland, where a similar offence was introduced back in 2021.

Crisis demands action

Helen Dickinson OBE, CEO of the BRC, said: “Despite retailers investing huge sums of money in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is climbing. With over 1,300 incidents every day, Government can no longer ignore the plight of ordinary, hardworking retail colleagues including teenagers taking on their first job, carers looking for part-time work or parents working around childcare. While the violence can be over in a moment, the victims carry these experiences with them for a lifetime. We all know the impact doesn’t stop there, either. It affects their colleagues, friends and their families whom they go home to every day and night. This is a crisis that demands action now.”

Dickinson added: “Criminals are being given a free pass to steal goods and abuse and assault retail colleagues. No-one should have to go to work fearing for their safety. The Protection of Workers Act in Scotland already provides additional protection for retail staff, so why should our hardworking colleagues south of the border be offered less protection? It’s absolutely vital that Government takes action and brings forward the new standalone offence of assaulting or abusing a retail worker.”

Katy Bourne OBE, Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ lead on business crime, observed: “The levels of retail crime described in this report reveal an unprecedented level of selfish lawlessness. Every day, retail staff are facing the consequences of shoplifters’ brazen behaviour. That’s precisely why I have supported the call for a specific offence of assault on a shopworker.”

Bourne concluded: “Our courts need to work more efficiently and shoplifters need to be deterred from re-offending. My fellow Police and Crime Commissioners must focus their police forces on tackling shoplifting by making it a priority in their local Police and Crime Plans.”

Security sector response

Jason Towse, managing director for Business Services at Mitie, has issued comment on the BRC’s latest Retail Crime Survey results.

“The new figures show there are now 1,300 violent and abusive incidents against shopworkers per day,” asserted Towse, “which is up from 837 in the previous year. Over the course of the year, that’s 475,000 individuals who have faced physical or psychological harm just by going to work. This is beyond unacceptable.”

Towse went on to state: “Nobody should be faced with violence at work. The proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would introduce a standalone offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker must be supported as a clear signal that violence will not be tolerated.”

According to Towse: “Amending the Criminal Justice Bill alone is just one element in a package of solutions. With multiple drivers for retail crime, we need a consistent and multilayered approach to stamp it out. Criminals are constantly evolving their techniques. As such, it follows that the retail industry must do the same if it’s to gain the edge over offenders.”

A new initiative launched late last year, Pegasus brings together a powerful combination of industry-leading technology with highly trained specialists. Through Pegasus, the sharing of anonymised information between 13 retailers including Boots, M&S and the Co-op is already starting to build a bigger picture of retail crime across the UK. Crime ‘hot spots’ and patterns can be mapped and valuable data provided for the police service. An organised crime gang can be tracked from Liverpool to Leicester to Llandudno.

In conclusion, Towse affirmed: “For retailers, the security industry, the police and the Government, it’s important that we continue to collaborate in order to fight retail crime. Otherwise, we will surely find ourselves looking at a further increase over the next 12 months. We cannot let that happen. Our retail workers, and their families, deserve better. Shoplifting is not a victimless crime.”