More than 100 industry leaders have signed a letter calling on the police to prioritise retail crime as levels of abuse, violence and antisocial behaviour surge across the country

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Retailers say police should do more to support shopworkers

In the letter drafted by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), 105 retailers have expressed increasing concerns about the surging levels of retail crime and the emotional impact it is having on their staff – as well as a big uptick in shoplifting and theft, which “pushes up the cost of operating and results in higher prices for everyone”.

Retailers spent more than £715m on crime prevention – such as hiring in-store security teams, training teams on de-escalation, and investing in CCTV and body-worn cameras for staff – in 2020/21, but say police should do more to support workers. 

The letter expressly calls for commissioners and police officers to: 

  • Commit to making retail crime a priority in their local policing plan
  • Work with local businesses to investigate ways to make reporting simpler, to help give the police an accurate picture of the problem
  • Push their local force to investigate all reports of violence and abuse against retail workers, ensuring the matter is treated with the seriousness it deserves
  • Monitor how the new sentencing guidelines are used, and judge the impact of violence and abuse against retail workers

It follows extensive lobbying by the BRC and retailers, which saw the UK government introduce an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act earlier this year. 

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “I am proud of the incredible work done by our retail colleagues. They were among the ‘hidden heroes’ of the pandemic; working tirelessly to keep the nation fed, clothed and with access to the goods we wanted.

“But every incident against a retail worker is one too many. Retailers are going above and beyond to keep their colleagues and customers safe, hiring in-store security teams, training staff on de-escalation, and investing in CCTV and body-worn cameras. 

“A new law has increased the penalties for assaulting a retail worker, but this will only have an impact if police successfully investigate and prosecute these incidents. This is why we are calling on police and crime commissioners to make retail crime a priority across the board.”

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