A trade body, BIRA (British Independent Retailers Association), reported on a survey of members in October. Most said crime against retail is worsening.
Long-standing complaints are unchanged: that the police either don’t want to know about shop theft (or are willing, but have too many other things to do); that criminals readily resort to violence, aggravating a theft, to deter staff intervening; and the sheer relentlessness of crime and anti-social behaviour by ever more brazen, repeat thieves. Most cases of physical and verbal abuse aren’t reported to police; almost half of thefts aren’t. The reporting process to the police has itself become a barrier, as one member put it: “It takes 20 minutes to talk to the operator, unless it is 999,” meaning that for a member of staff to stay on the line would cost more the value of the incident.
‘Alarm’
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: “These figures should alarm everyone. When 83 per cent of retailers say retail theft has got worse, when physical assaults have doubled, and when nine out of ten incidents of violence against shop workers go unreported because retailers believe nothing will be done – we have a serious problem on our high streets. The February 2025 Crime and Policing Bill promised stricter penalties and protection for shop workers, yet our members see no difference whatsoever. The Prime Minister announced increased police presence on high streets, but where is it? Repeat offenders – who account for nearly 70pc of thefts – continue to operate, seemingly with impunity. Independent retailers face daily abuse, violence and theft, yet they’ve stopped even reporting it because they know the police won’t come. This demands urgent government action. We support the drive for neighbourhood policing, but we need it now. We support greater use of community behaviour orders and potentially tagging repeat offenders. We also support rehabilitation.”
For more on retail security and loss prevention, see the November edition of Professional Security Magazine for a report on the NABCP (National Association of Business Crime Partnerships) conference in Birmingham.
