Retail crime ‘spiralling out of control’ to more than 2,000 incidents a day
Retail crime ‘spiralling out of control’ to more than 2,000 incidents a day
Share:
Retail crime is “spiralling out of control” at more than 2,000 incidents a day, according to the latest figures. Incidents including racial and sexual abuse, physical assault and threats with weapons have reached three times the level they were in 2020, when there were 455 incidents a day, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Annual Crime Survey shows.
Over the last year, there were 70 incidents a day which involved a weapon – more than double the previous year. Some 61% of respondents described the police response to incidents as “poor” or “very poor”, although 3% described it as “excellent” – the first time in five years that any retailers have rated it as such.
Theft also reached an all-time high with more than 20 million incidents – or over 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion, up from £1.8 billion the previous year. Gangs systematically targeted stores across the country, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods and rotating around multiple stores, the BRC’s survey found.
The amount spent on crime prevention is also at a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion the previous year. The total cost of crime reached £4.2 billion, up from £3.3 billion, limiting investment and “pushing up prices for customers everywhere”, the BRC warned.
