BRC: Retail crime ‘out of control’ as theft losses hit record £2.2bn
With the total number of aggressive incidents continuing to grow, the sector’s satisfaction with the police remains low
The BRC has said that retail crime is “out of control” after its Annual Crime Survey figures revealed that losses from customer theft reached a record £2.2bn in 2023/24.
The association said the figures come as more incidents have been linked to organised crime, with gangs “systematically” targeting stores.
This record level of retail crime comes despite the sector’s efforts to prevent theft and abuse by spending £1.8bn last year on measures such as CCTV, security personnel, and body-worn cameras.
According to the trade body, retail violence and abuse also jumped over 50% to more than 2,000 incidents a day.
With the total number of aggressive incidents continuing to grow, the sector’s satisfaction with the police remains low, with 61% of respondents describing the police response to incidents as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.
Of the remaining, 29% rated the response as ‘fair’, a further 6% said good, and 3% described it as ‘excellent’ – the first time in five years that any retailers have rated it as such.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behavior, including removing the £200 threshold of ‘low level’ theft.
A standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker was also announced in the King’s Speech.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, 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 hardworking 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.”
She added: “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.”
