The current shoplifting epidemic in Britain is symptomatic of police failure to take it seriously and formulate a strategic approach to tackling this crime.
So says Julian Hayes, criminal partner at Berris Law. “In the past, the police would respond by having specialist units formed to tackle such offending. One only has to recall the units put together to tackle the pick pocketers on London’s streets. This sadly is a reflection of the years of austerity and depletion of police resources, both financially and manpower. Even with an increase in resources with the other competing demands expected of modern policing, one wonders whether this offending will be given the priority that it requires.”
Hayes statement comes as an exclusive Sky News and Association of Convenience Stores survey revealed that 77% of retailers suffered from retail crime within just one week at the beginning of October.
The poll also found that 94% of retailers believe shoplifting has got worse over the last year, with 83% not confident that the police will take action against the perpetrators of retail crime on their premises.
Earlier in the year the Office for National Statistics revealed that shoplifting in England and Wales was at a 20-year high, with 469,788 offences logged in the year to June 2024, up 29% on the previous year.
The ACS has launched its 2025 Retail Crime Survey. ACS chief executive James Lowman says: “We urge everyone in the convenience sector to respond to our Crime Survey, whatever their experiences of crime have been over the last year. We have made progress in raising the profile of shop theft and abuse against retailers, but there is much more to do to make sure that theft is treated as a crime and investigated every time it’s reported.”
To take part in the survey, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACSCrime2025. The survey takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and closes on January 17, 2025.
