Every six months, we ask our members about their experiences of retail crime. Every six months, the results make for difficult reading. But our latest survey findings have given me real cause for concern – not just because the numbers are moving in the wrong direction, but because of what lies behind them.
Almost 77 per cent of respondents said they experienced theft in the past 12 months. Nearly 90 per cent of those said it was worse than the year before. Those are significant figures, but what strikes me most is the human reality our members describe alongside them. Theft that happens weekly, sometimes daily. Thieves who laugh at staff as they walk out of the door. Retailers who told us, simply and bluntly: “We are on our own.”
That phrase has stayed with me. Because in many ways, that is exactly what our members are being asked to be – on their own. Over 45 per cent of those who experienced theft did not report it to police, not because they did not care, but because they have lost confidence anything will come of it. Of those who did report, police attended in 67 per cent of cases, and of those, just 35 per cent led to a prosecution.
The financial impact is also growing. More than one in ten respondents estimated their annual cost from retail crime – stolen stock, security investment, staff time – at £10,000+. Many have changed how their shops look and feel in response, moving stock behind counters, installing locked cases, reducing what they put on display. Over a third said those changes hit sales or damaged the customer experience.
I am also concerned about the direction of travel. Our members tell us theft is becoming more organised, deliberate, and targeted. They describe repeat offenders by name, groups using distraction techniques, and incidents they believe are connected to drug dependency and informal resale networks. Staff are being verbally abused – and in some cases physically threatened – simply for doing their jobs. Over two thirds of respondents said verbal abuse had increased in the past year.
What do our members want? The answer from this survey is clear. Stronger sentencing. A better police response rate. More visible presence on high streets. Clearer guidance on what evidence is needed to pursue a case. These are the basic conditions that allow a business to trade with confidence.
We are not pointing fingers without context. Retail crime is complex and police resources are stretched. But independent retailers are absorbing costs and pressures that are not of their making, and they deserve better.
Andrew Goodacre Photo: Handout