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Retail crime hits record high, according to the latest survey. At 55,000 incidents a day, theft and violence are ‘out of control,’ according to the latest industry report

Retail crime in the UK has reached unprecedented levels, with soaring losses from theft and rising violence against workers, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has reported.

According to its latest annual crime survey, shoplifting in the country has reached an all-time high, with more than 20 million incidents committed last year as of August 31, which equates to 55,000 a day.

This cost retailers a total £2.2 billion ($2.7 billion), adding further pressure to the mounting costs retailers already face.

Violence and abuse against retail staff also spiked, with daily incidents exceeding 2,000, up from 1,300 reported the previous year. This marks a more than threefold increase from 2020 when the daily average was just 455. Weapon-related incidents doubled, reaching 70 per day.

‘Retail crime is spiralling out of control,’ said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. ’People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes.’

The BRC report suggested that many of the incidents were linked to organized crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country, often stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods and moving around multiple stores.

‘Every day this continues, most of the immigrant background criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive,’ Dickinson warned.

According to the survey, satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61% of respondents describing it as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’

‘With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a license to steal, threaten, assault and abuse,’ Dickinson argued.

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