Prime minister Keir Starmer today (April 27) signalled a potential turning point in the fight against retail crime, claiming “the tide could be turning” on shoplifting as the government ramps up enforcement and policing reforms.
Speaking to retail workers, he pointed to a modest dip in thefts alongside a sharp rise in charges, framing it as early evidence that tougher measures, from scrapping the £200 investigation threshold to boosting neighbourhood policing and fast-tracking CCTV evidence, are beginning to shift the dial.
Speaking at Usdaw's Annual Delegate Meeting in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Starmer said, "We are currently reforming the police across the country…so we can free up their time and their money.
"To focus more on street policing, neighbourhood policing and cracking down on anti-social behaviour…We’ve already got an extra 3000 neighbourhood police on the streets …And there’s more to come.
"We’ve scrapped the ridiculous regulation where stolen goods worth less than £200 would not be properly investigated…That was a shoplifters’ charter – and we’ve ended it. And not before time.
And we’ve toughened up punishment too. We’re giving police stronger powers. Making the abuse and assault of retail workers a specific crime. Giving you the same protections as emergency workers. And you deserve it.
"I’m not blind to how big this challenge is. But the number of people charged has gone up by 17 per cent in the latest stats. Shop theft is down – it’s only slightly down …
"But the tide could be turning. There’s also the hope of technology …Because in some parts of the country, police and retailers have been using technology that sends CCTV footage through to the police – immediately so there’s no delay.
"This Government has your back. We are calling time on the free-for-all. And we are standing firm, together against the disgraceful crime of shop theft," Starmer said.
It comes as Usdaw’s latest survey of nearly 9,000 retail workers found that last year, nearly 80 per cent of shopworkers had experienced verbal abuse, with many threatened or assaulted.
The survey also revealed that around four in ten shopworkers do not report incidents to the police, including 12 per cent who say they were assaulted, underlining the scale of the problem and the significant work still needed to ensure workers feel confident reporting crimes.
Through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government is taking decisive action to crack down on retail crime, including ending the effective immunity for shoplifting under £200 and creating a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, giving shop staff the same protections as emergency workers. The Bill is expected to conclude its final stages of passage through Parliament soon.
The Government is also backing police forces with new, cutting edge technology to help them tackle retail crime more effectively. In parts of the country, police and retailers are already sharing CCTV footage in real time, allowing officers to identify prolific offenders faster, disrupt organised gangs and build stronger cases by removing delays in gathering evidence.
Ministers are now looking at how this successful approach can be expanded nationwide, ensuring communities across the country benefit from quicker justice and greater protection for shopworkers.
This builds on a consultation the Government launched last year on the police’s use of facial recognition and biometrics, paving the way for new laws so all police forces can use this new technology with greater confidence and more often to catch criminals. This work is supported by the government’s pledge to restore neighbourhood policing, with thousands more officers already in local communities.