BRC reports rise in retail crime

Over the last decade the BRC survey has shown a steady rise in violence and abuse in retail environments – even the temporary drop after the pandemic was a rise on the last pre-pandemic figure and now we are back at the level of incidents seen during the pandemic.

Cases of violence and abuse have surged, up from 870 cases per day to a staggering 1,300. Shoplifting has also soared to unprecedented levels, with losses to retailers doubling in the last year to £1.8 billion.

Retailers report that thieves have become bolder and more aggressive and the impact on retail workers is severe, often extending far beyond the workplace.

Here are some of the top-line results:

• The cost of customer theft doubled to just short of £2 billion.
• Over 1,300 violent or abusive incidents per day were reported, up from 870 per day in the previous year.
• A total of 475,000 incidents were recorded in 2022-23, up from 316,000, including 41,000 violent incidents.
• The overall cost of retail crime, including crime prevention measures, was £3.3billion, almost double the previous year.
• Incidents of customer theft rose to 16.7 million, up from 8 million.
• It is estimated that only 36% of incidents of violence and abuse were reported to police by retailers.
• Only 8% of reported incidents of violence and abuse were prosecuted.
• As the total number of incidents climbed, dissatisfaction with the police also increased, with 60% of respondents describing the police response to reported incidents as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

Retailers are calling on the Government to introduce a standalone offence of assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker. This would send a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated, making retail workers feel safer in the workplace. It would also mean the police have data that allows them to understand the scale of the issue, and to allocate sufficient resources to deal with it. This would ensure that retail workers have the same protection under the law as they do in Scotland, where a similar offence was introduced in 2021.

BRC membership comprises over 200 major retailers – whether operating physical stores, multichannel or pure pay-online – plus thousands of smaller, independent retailers through a number of niche retail trade Associations that are themselves members of BRC.

This crime survey covers the period from 1st September 2022 to 31st August 2023 – predating the launch by the Government of the Retail Crime Action Plan in October 2023.

Any positive impact of that plan in reducing the number of incidents or improving the police response will not be picked up until next year’s survey.

As an integral part of the retail eco-system, Loomis is acutely conscious of the need to provide retailers with cash management solutions that help to safeguard employee safety and protect hard earned cash. From a comprehensive range of Smart Safe solutions to Cash In Transit, Coin and Note Delivery and Collection, Loomis is equipped to ensure that any cash in retail environment is fully accounted for, safe – and inaccessible to thieves.