One in four witness shoplifting, latest figures show

That is equivalent to more than 16 million people witnessing these events, according to statistics in the latest British Retail Consortium-Opinium survey data.

The data also shows 23 per cent of customers have witnessed the physical or verbal abuse of shop staff. This can include racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons.

The research comes as the UK experiences record levels of retail crime with 20 million incidents of theft last year, and incidents of violence and abuse climbing to more than 2,000 a day. Separately, Usdaw – the shopworkers’ union – has produced its own survey showing 77 per cent of retail staff experienced abuse, 53 per cent threats, and ten per cent assault.

These incidents are not restricted to those working in stores; delivery drivers are often subjected to abuse, physical violence, and threats with weapons. As a result, many are being equipped with protective measures, such as personal safety devices to alert the police of their whereabouts, and DNA spit testing kits.

Crime cost retailers an eye-watering £4.2 billion last year. This includes £2.2 billion from shoplifting, and another £1.8 billion spent on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras.

These costs add to the wider cost pressures retailers already face, further limiting investment and pushing up prices for customers everywhere.

There are stark differences between cities in the UK. Customers in Nottingham saw the most shoplifting, with just under a third (32 per cent) of people witnessing an incident. London followed close behind at 29 per cent, followed by Southampton (28 per cent) and Leeds (26 per cent). Meanwhile, Plymouth and Belfast saw the least at 12 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

A similar pattern also existed for abuse of colleagues. Customers in London witnessed the most incidents of physical or verbal abuse at 30 per cent. Nottingham and Liverpool were a close second at 29 per cent, with Manchester at 27 per cent of customers.

The Government is taking action to address retail crime through the new Crime and Policing Bill. Retailers hope this will play a vital role in protecting retail workers from harm and tackling the surge in theft.

The Bill includes a standalone offence which will improve the visibility of violence so that police can allocate appropriate resources to the challenge.

“It also seeks to remove the £200 threshold of ‘low level’ theft, which will send a clear signal that all shoplifting is unacceptable and will not be tolerated” says the British Retail Consortium.

“But, this Bill needs to go further and protect all retail staff working in customer facing roles, including delivery drivers, just as the Workers Protection Act does in Scotland.”

Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Seeing incidents of theft or abuse has become an all-too-common part of the shopping experience for many people.

“While an incident can be over in a matter of seconds, it can have life-long consequences on those who experience it, making them think twice about visiting their local high streets.

“Criminals are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and decisive action is needed to put an end to it.

“The Crime and Policing Bill is a crucial step in providing additional protections to retail workers. However, in its current proposed form, it does not afford all retail workers the same protections as those working in Scotland, where delivery drivers are also protected.

“The Bill must protect everyone in customer facing roles in the industry.”

Meanwhile, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has published its annual Crime Report, which estimates the total cost of crime to convenience stores at £316 million, equivalent to more than £6,000 per store.

Commenting on the ACS report’s findings, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint leads on Business and Retail Crime, Katy Bourne OBE and Andy Dunbobbin, said: “We know from official crime statistics that the number of retail crime offences reported to police continues to rise to record levels. In part this is down to much-improved work between police forces and businesses to encourage better reporting of such crimes, but the numbers illustrate the enormity of the problem that needs to be gripped and dealt with.

“The ACS report says the sector has invested millions in crime prevention measures such as in-store CCTV and PCCs have been at the forefront of the drive to ensure shop theft and violence against shop workers are taken more seriously by the police. We are pleased to see the ACS highlight the importance of PCCs in holding their chief constables accountable on their commitment under the Retail Crime Action Plan to improve their response to shop theft and violence against staff.

“We have been pressing for the introduction of a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker for some time so we very much welcome its inclusion in the recently published Crime and Policing Bill. It is important we send a clear message to retailers that violence and abuse against them will not be tolerated.

“Police action against organised shop theft is also making a difference. The PCC-initiated Pegasus Partnership facilitates the sharing of intelligence between some of the country’s largest retailers and the police to inform robust enforcement activity. It has already resulted in more than 100 arrests of those involved in organised retail crime in less than a year and identified 93 vehicles linked to shop theft.

“This report states that only 36 per cent of all retail crime is reported to police so it is clear more needs to be done to build confidence amongst convenience store workers that police will respond to their reports. We support the ACS’s call for retailers to report all incidents to enable police to act whilst also building an intelligence-based picture of those committing what are, often, repeat crimes.”