Retail Crime and Violence in the UK: A Growing Threat to Shops, Staff and Communities

Retail crime in the UK has reached alarming levels. Shoplifting and violence against retail staff have surged to record highs, threatening not only the livelihood of businesses but also the safety of workers and customers. With organised crime groups becoming more sophisticated, and cost-of-living pressures fuelling opportunistic theft, the retail sector is facing its toughest security challenge in decades.

Image: Catch a Thief UK

The Scale of the Problem

Recent figures show over 530,000 shoplifting incidents recorded in England and Wales in the past year—a 20% increase and the highest in 20 years. Industry estimates suggest the true scale is far greater, with more than 20 million thefts annually when unreported cases are included.

Retailers also face over 2,000 incidents of violence or abuse against staff every single day, from verbal intimidation to physical assault. These crimes cost the sector around £2.2 billion a year, with UK households indirectly paying an extra £147 per year through higher prices to cover losses.

Perhaps most troubling, fewer than one in five recorded shoplifting cases result in a charge, and nearly 290,000 incidents last year had no suspect identified. This low rate of resolution has emboldened offenders, some of whom operate in repeat cycles or as part of organised crime gangs targeting high-value goods.

Government and Police Response

To address this crisis, the government has rolled out new measures under the Tackling Retail Crime Together strategy:

Stronger legal protection for workers: Assaulting a retail worker will soon be a standalone criminal offence, reflecting the seriousness of these attacks.

Abolition of the £200 low-value theft threshold: Police will now be expected to pursue all shoplifting cases, regardless of value.

Retail Crime Fusion Cell: A new intelligence-sharing unit bringing together police, retailers, and security experts to disrupt organised crime networks.

Increased policing: Up to 500 town centres will benefit from £200 million of investment in neighbourhood policing, with 3,000 additional officers on the ground.

Project Pegasus: A digital platform using facial recognition and data-sharing to identify prolific offenders and link crimes across different regions.

At the local level, police-led operations in towns such as Gateshead have already demonstrated success, with targeted action leading to a 75% drop in shoplifting in just three months.

Retailers Fighting Back with Technology

Retailers are investing heavily in both staff safety and theft prevention, spending around £1.8 billion on security measures. Some key innovations include:

Body-worn cameras for staff in Tesco, Co-op, Poundland, and other chains, deterring abuse and providing crucial evidence.

Smart CCTV and AI systems at checkouts, automatically flagging unscanned items or suspicious behaviour.

Fogging devices that fill shops with smoke during after-hours break-ins.

DNA spray tagging (SelectaDNA), used by shops like JD Sports and Sainsbury’s, marking offenders for later identification.

Customer partnerships: Iceland recently launched a controversial scheme offering shoppers £1 loyalty rewards for reporting suspected shoplifters.

These innovations, while costly, are seen as essential to keep stores open and staff safe in an increasingly hostile environment.

Catch a Thief UK: Playing Our Part

At Catch a Thief UK, tackling retail crime has been our mission from the start. We work closely with retailers, police, and communities to:

Identify offenders through CCTV analysis, social media alerts, and intelligence-sharing.

Deter crime with visible warnings, education campaigns, and community engagement.

Support victims and staff by advocating for stronger protections and highlighting the impact of crime on ordinary workers.

Our founder, Farrah McNutt, has been at the forefront of national campaigns for over eight years, helping to push Parliament toward recognising assaults on shop staff as a standalone offence. Catch a Thief UK has also featured in Channel 5’s documentary Shoplifters and Scammers: At War With the Law, showcasing our frontline work.

We continue to contribute at industry events such as The Security Event, Retailers Against Crime, and Women in Security, where we share expertise and build stronger partnerships between the retail sector and law enforcement.

The Road Ahead

Retail crime is no longer just a business issue—it’s a community safety issue. Shops are the beating heart of local areas, and when theft and violence go unchecked, it erodes trust, threatens jobs, and drives up costs for everyone.

But with stronger laws, smarter technology, better policing, and collaborative initiatives led by organisations like Catch a Thief UK, there is hope. Together, we can make shops safer, protect frontline staff, and send a clear message: retail crime and violence will not be tolerated in our communities.