The cost of shoplifting is now at record levels as the police are giving criminals “a free pass” and last year violence and abuse against shop workers spiked to around 1,300 offences being committed a day.
The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) have slammed the “woefully inadequate” action the government is taking as shoplifting is now a national “crisis.”
The BRC found in their annual survey that shoplifting over the past year is now the highest ever recorded.
Incidents against staff increased by 50% to a staggering 1,300 a day with around 8,800 workers left with injuries in the year to September 2023 compared to 870 thefts the previous year.
Retail workers are being faced with abuse, violence, with staff being threatened with weapons and are being hit with a barrage of racial abuse and sexual harassment to physical assault.
Retailers have lost around £1.8 billion in the last year due to shoplifters, which is a record and customer theft had doubled to 16.7 million a year up from eight million, according to the BRC.
Helen Dickinson, the BRC’s chief executive, said, “Despite retailers investing huge sums in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is climbing.
“With over 1,300 incidents every day, government can no longer ignore the plight of ordinary, hardworking retail colleagues.
“Criminals are being given a free pass to steal goods and to abuse and assault retail colleagues. No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety.”
Dickinson added, “This is a crisis that demands action now.”
The BRC said that the Police Retail Crime Action Plan which was launched in October 2023, has given some “hope.”
