Retail crime in the UK is "spiralling out of control" with more than 2,000 incidents occurring daily, an increase from 455 a day in 2020, the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) Annual Crime Survey reveals. These figures reflect a wave of incidents involving racial and sexual abuse, physical assaults, and threats with weapons—now three times higher than just two years ago. Last year alone saw an average of 70 weapon-related incidents per day, a figure that's more than doubled year-on-year.

A significant majority, 61% of surveyed retailers, rated the police's response to these incidents as either "poor" or "very poor". However, for the first time in half a decade, 3% have described it as "excellent". Theft has also surged to unprecedented levels, with over 20 million reported cases—or over 55,000 daily—costing the retail industry £2.2bn, a rise from £1.8bn the previous year. Organised gangs have been systematically targeting stores, pocketing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods while shifting their activities among various locations. In response, investment in crime prevention has hit a record high, with retailers spending £1.8bn on measures like CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras—up from £1.2bn previously.

The overwhelming cost of crime which now totals £4.2bn up from £3.3bn, is not only stifling potential investment but also leading to increased prices for consumers, the BRC has warned. BRC's chief executive, Helen Dickinson, has issued a stark warning: "Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. "Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive. We owe it to the three million hard-working people working in retail to bring the epidemic of crime to heel. No one should go to work in fear.

"With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse. We need the police to respond to and handle every reported incident appropriately. We look forward to seeing crucial legislation to protect retail workers being put in place later this year. Only if the industry, Government and police work together, can we finally see this awful trend reverse.".

Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis echoed these sentiments, said: "The scale of the epidemic of retail crime is laid bare in this shocking BRC report. "Crime has a very direct impact on the viability of stores, as retailers go to increasing lengths and expense to make them secure and safe. Communities are blighted by anti-social behaviour and store closures. Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence.".

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of retail industry charity the Retail Trust, expressed his concern for the safety of retail workers: "Almost half of the retail workers we’ve surveyed told us they currently fear for their safety and nearly two thirds are stressed and anxious going to work due to this unacceptable level of retail crime. People are contacting our helpline in their thousands to report horrifying incidents of abuse and violence and many say that they are now at breaking point.

"Retailers are taking the threat to their staff’s physical safety extremely seriously and more and more of them are working with the Retail Trust to reduce the terrible toll it is having on their people’s mental well-being. But stronger measures are clearly needed to prevent this criminal behaviour from happening in the first place.". Paul Gerrard, Co-op director of campaigns and public affairs, commented on the wider impact of retail crime: "As a community-based retailer, we see the corrosive impact of retail crime and anti-social behaviour in society and communities.".

Following the publication of the Retail Crime Action Plan, there appears to be some improvement in policing focused on stores. An industry spokesperson noted: "Since the Retail Crime Action Plan was published, we have seen an improvement in police attention and our stores have shown signs of recorded crime stabilising or reducing, but numbers are still far too high and our focus on reducing retail crime and ensuring the safety of stores and communities remains a priority.

"More must be done to tackle root causes and prevent re-offending, and we know that effective partnerships can help, as neither business nor police can solve this alone.". Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson has made it clear the Government is taking action regarding the worrying trend of retail crimes: "The rising levels of shop theft and violence against retail staff are utterly unacceptable.". She emphasized the Government's commitment, saying, "We will not stand for this. That is why this Government has made clear we will introduce a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and end the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods under £200.