Retail crime is escalating across the UK, with nearly a quarter of Britons witnessing shoplifting or the abuse of shop workers in the past year. A survey by Opinium for the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that criminals are becoming “bolder and more aggressive,” creating a dangerous shopping environment.
Nottingham emerged as a hotspot, with 32% of residents reporting shoplifting incidents. London followed closely at 29%. Other cities, including Southampton, Leeds, and Manchester, also recorded high crime rates, while Liverpool, Brighton, and Sheffield saw fewer incidents.
On average, 24% of respondents had seen shoplifting, while 23% had witnessed physical or verbal abuse against retail workers. Retailers warn that crime in their stores is “spiraling out of control,” with 55,000 thefts occurring daily. Violent and abusive incidents surged by 50% last year, with over 70 crimes involving weapons each day, according to the BRC’s annual crime report.
Helen Dickinson, the BRC’s chief executive, said the rise in crime is damaging communities. “Seeing incidents of theft or abuse has become an all-too-common part of the shopping experience. Criminals are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and decisive action is needed.”
A separate survey by Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union, revealed that 77% of retail staff had faced abuse, 53% had received threats, and 10% had been physically assaulted. Verbal and physical attacks have soared to 2,000 incidents daily, more than tripling since 2020.
Retailers link the rise in shoplifting to economic struggles, organized crime, and lenient penalties. A 2014 law change in England and Wales reduced sentencing for thefts under £200, making retail stores an easier target.
Some blame major retailers for cutting staff to lower costs, increasing reliance on self-checkouts and self-scanning devices, which are vulnerable to theft. However, businesses are also fighting back, investing £1.8 billion last year in security measures such as CCTV, body-worn cameras, and additional security personnel.
In response, the UK government is working on new legislation to tackle retail crime. The proposed crime and policing bill will remove the £200 threshold for “low-level” theft and introduce a specific offense for assaulting retail workers. The BRC is also calling for better legal protections for delivery drivers.
As shoplifting and abuse continue to rise, both retailers and lawmakers are under pressure to restore safety and order in the UK’s retail sector.
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