Britain's shoplifting epidemic sees rise in violence with weapons threatening retailers

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Britain’s shoplifting epidemic is becoming increasingly violent with more than one in 10 retailers now revealing they have been threatened with weapons in the last 12 months. With high street crime reaching record-breaking levels across England and Wales, the fear of being assaulted by a weapon-wielding robber is becoming an ever-increasing concern for hard-pressed staff.

The latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show shoplifting in England and Wales at its highest levels since current records began, and now research from commercial insurer NFU Mutual has exposed the ongoing issues retailers are having to deal with on a daily basis – with verbal and physical assaults becoming commonplace. Almost eight in 10 retailers (79%) surveyed said they had been a victim of crime in the last 12 months and, of those, nearly half had suffered more than three times at the hands of criminals in the same timeframe.

Cases of assault were also a worrying theme among shops up and down the country with almost half (43%) having faced verbal assault – the third most common crime suffered – and almost one in five revealing they had experienced physical assault against staff or customers, with a shocking 13% saying they or their employees had been threatened with weapons.

Incredibly, despite the onslaught on their businesses shopkeepers have been warned that sharing images of crooks online - or on posters - could breach their human rights whilst police ordered one retailer to remove a sign branding thieves "scumbags".

These attacks on businesses are clearly having a detrimental impact, as 16% of those surveyed said they had considered leaving the industry due to retail crime, while almost one in seven (14%) knew businesses that had closed because of the issue.

Crime is also hitting retailers hard in the pocket. The average cost of retail crime in the last 12 months, according to NFU Mutual’s survey, was £53,000 – with one in 20 retailers admitting it had set them back a staggering £500,000 or more.

Zoe Knight, head of commercial at NFU Mutual, said: “Theft and criminality are sadly commonplace and regular occurrences for our retailers. We would always encourage businesses to protect themselves where possible – through physical and technological methods – and ensure cover is in place so they are secure should the worst happen.

“Our research shows the shocking amount crime is costing up and down the country but, more than that, the fear these brazen criminals are putting on hard-working retailers and their employees. The fact that one in every five retailers live in fear of theft or violence, with some even having to shut up shop altogether, speaks volumes about the magnitude of the problem.

“Retailers are facing continued challenges in the industry and, for many, this is a way of life and not just a job, with crime striking at the heart of that. It is as important as it ever has been to feel protected in the face of criminality.”

ONS data published last month showed there were 530,643 reported shoplifting offences in the year to March, a 20% increase from the previous year.

Case Study

For independent department store Bradbeers the issue of theft has been a long-standing problem which has cost thousands in both stock loss and prevention. But now fear of violence from weapon-wielding shoplifters is causing additional stress for hard-pressed staff.

Over the last seven years, Bradbeers – which has five department and furniture stores in Hampshire and Wiltshire – has suffered tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock stolen and spent several thousand pounds installing various deterrents.

The family-owned retailer stocks male and female clothing brands including top names including Barbour, Gant, Joules, Ben Sherman, Hobbs and Phase Eight, while also selling high-end fragrance and beauty products, fashion accessories and homewares.

But a spate of incidents have left staff shocked. In one terrifying incident thieves confronted shop workers as they tried to stop them from stealing vacuum cleaners.

Bradbeers’ property and procurement manager Mark Hall said: “It was an afternoon incident and thieves took four vacuum cleaners and tried to run out with them.

“Two of our female members of staff managed to recover some items after trying to fight them off.

“Staff safety is paramount, but sometimes the adrenaline kicks in. We are an independent, family business and people that work here feel upset that others would come in and try to steal from us.”

The company has installed metal roller shutter doors and smoke cloak fogging devices among a host of other protection measures, and extensive CCTV which has proved useful to police in identifying perpetrators.

“It really is a big issue and not just for us, but for the retail sector as a whole,” said Mark. “However, we have certainly seen the benefit of the investments we have made to minimise incidents”.

In another attack thieves smashed through a toughened window to steal clothing stock.

“The problem isn’t just the stock loss but it’s the whole process afterwards,” added Mark. “Getting the glass cleared, boarding up and re-securing, Police reporting and forensics, quotations for repairs, alarm resetting – it is a time-consuming process.

“Attempted theft in our geographical area has been on the increase from what we have noticed. It could well be to do with the cost of living with thieves trying to get expensive goods they can then sell on easily – some stock has been recovered by police, but it’s often been the sort of items that criminals can move on fairly quickly, so never get found.”