Shoplifters 'out of control' and becoming more brazen, say retailers

Retail crime is "out of control" and shoplifters are carrying out increasingly brazen and violent acts of theft because they do not fear any consequences, an industry body has told the BBC.

In some cases, offenders are openly clearing shelves of items in full view of customers and shop workers - a tactic sometimes known as "kamikaze" shoplifting.

In the 12 months to September last year, incidents of customer theft in the UK rose by 3.7 million to 20.4 million, and cost retailers £2bn.

The figures were published today in the annual crime survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents more than 200 major retailers.

According to the BRC, violence and abuse against shopworkers also rose by 50%, with more than 2,000 such incidents recorded on average per day.

It says its survey was based on a sample of retailers representing over 1.1 million employees and a market turnover of more than £194m.

In one "kamikaze" incident last month at a phone store in London's Oxford Street, two men spent minutes kicking down a phone stand in front of customers and shop workers.

It is believed the phone stand contained dummy phones which could then have been sold online to unsuspecting customers, tricked into believing they were buying the real thing.

The Metropolitan Police said officers responded to the incident and carried out a search of the area. They were unable to locate the suspects, despite the fact that they were captured on video. An investigation has since been launched.

Shoplifting is often driven by organised gangs and prolific offenders stealing to order, according to Helen Dickinson, the BRC's chief executive.

She said offenders were becoming more daring because "they don't see that there's necessarily any consequences".

"It's outrageous and out of control in many parts of the country."

Social media is filled with videos of shoplifting, sometimes in front of shop workers and security officers who do not appear to step in.

Ms Dickinson said shop staff are often advised not to intervene because they run a risk of being attacked.

Shop owner Amit Puntambekar said he was punched in the face by a young woman he suspected of stealing £75 worth of vapes from his Cambridgeshire store earlier this year.

He believes the number of violent incidents has worsened over the past three years and has made him consider quitting the business, which has been in his family for nearly 40 years.

"I don't want to die at work," he said. "When your staff are threatened with a hammer, when someone threatens to kill you who lives near your shop and the police don't take it seriously, what's the point?”

Criminals know the law is soft on shoplifting, Mr Puntambekar believes, so suspects are carrying out crimes in plain sight.

Cambridgeshire Police said a 17-year-old girl has been charged with common assault and theft from a shop following the incident and will appear in court on 5 February.

Facilities management firm Mitie supplies 10,000 security guards to the UK retail sector. It said 10% of these were injured in the line of duty in 2024.

According to its security director, Jason Towse, shoplifters have become more fearless because police resources have become more focused on "high-profile" crime.

"The main issue for why people are using that 'kamikaze' approach is to scare colleagues and scare the staff," he said. "They also know that the response from the police is not what it used to be."

Security guards do not have more powers than other citizens to apprehend shoplifters. But Mr Towse says they are trained in how best to identify and respond to issues. They can also act as a visible deterrent and share data and evidence with the police.

We asked 10 major retailers what their staff policies were for dealing with shoplifters carrying out violent or aggressive theft.

Several said the safety of staff and customers was a priority, and added that they had invested in security measures including CCTV, body-worn cameras, and an increase in security guards.

Shoplifting adds £133 to the cost of an average UK household's shopping bill each year, according to The Centre for Retail Research.

In 2023, the government launched a scheme that set out guidance for police on tackling the issue – including prioritising attending violent incidents or where an offender has been caught. It also launched an intelligence-sharing partnership between retailers, the Home Office and policing - focused on tackling shoplifting gangs and prolific offenders.

In response to the BRC survey, Home Office Minister Dame Diana Johnson has called the rise in shop crime "utterly unacceptable".

She has also repeated a government pledge to bring in a new specific offence for assaulting retail workers – something the retail industry has been calling for since 2020.

It would help clarify the size of the problem and allow statistics to be collected, says the BRC.

Helen Dickinson says the latest record levels of shoplifting should serve as a "wake-up call" to the government and the police.

"The fear of consequence is just not there and I think that's why we need to see more resources and more focus by the police," she says.

Jason Towse says there is more work to do but thinks that steps being taken across the industry are starting to bring about results.

"Ultimately when shoplifters start to see the levels of consequence more and more than we're seeing today… that will really change the tide."