Shoplifting hit a record high of 5.6m incidents in 2023, almost fivefold as many as the previous year’s retail crime record of 1.1m incidents in 2022, new figures show.
The new data, released in The Association of Convenience Stores’ 2024 Crime Report, highlights the scale of the retail crime ‘crisis‘ facing UK retailers.
Among other findings, the report revealed that retailers recorded over 600 incidents of theft an hour over the last year, with the top motivations for repeat offending being drug or alcohol addiction, organised crime and opportunism.
The report also shed light on the extent of the increase in violent incidents committed against retailers and employees, with over 76,000 incidents of violence in shops reported last year, compared to 41,000 the previous year.
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Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “Retailers are facing an onslaught of retail crime committed against their businesses on a daily basis, with some losing tens of thousands of pounds per year to theft alone.
This extended retail crimewave cannot be allowed to continue. Thieves are known to the community and to the police but they simply do not care, and continue on regardless, filling baskets and trolleys and walking out without fear of reproach.
“There have been positive steps forward made in recent months with the publication of the Retail Crime Action Plan and the launching of Operation Pegasus to try and better identify prolific offenders and bring them to justice, but the figures in our report demonstrate that more needs to be done urgently. Nobody should have to come to work and face what retailers and their colleagues have faced over the last year.”
SPAR retailer Susan Connolly added: “Convenience stores are increasingly targeted by gangs stealing to order and looting. We share evidence, and I would encourage retailers to report crime every time, but we need to have faith that the police will investigate offences and use that data – particularly to target these organised groups.”
The new report follows a series of measures introduced last year to try and stem the influx of retail crime incidents. Last October, the Retail Crime Action Plan was launched in which a new Organised Retail Crime (ORC) capability was formed with funding from Project Pegasus – a partnership between 13 of the UK’s leading retailers.
