From 870 incidents per day the previous year to September 2023, incidents against personnel increased by 50%.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) expressed disapproval of the government’s “woefully inadequate” response to the “crisis”.
We’ve reached out to the Home Office for a response.
According to a BRC survey, the amount lost to shoplifting in the last year was the biggest on record.
A number of business leaders have demanded that, similar to Scotland, violence against retail employees be classified as a separate crime in England and Wales.
According to the BRC, events involving shop employees have included physical assault, threats involving weapons, sexual harassment, and racist abuse.
Approximately 8,800 injuries were reported as a result of all accidents during the year.
According to the BRC report, the number of client theft cases has increased to 16.7 million annually from eight million.
“Despite retailers investing huge sums in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is on the rise,” stated Helen Dickinson, CEO of the BRC.
“No one ought to have to leave their house in dread of being at work. This is a catastrophe that requires immediate attention.”
Attacks against employees at cooperative stores are on the rise.
Shoplifting is on the rise, according to John Lewis CEO
According to the BRC, stealing cost retailers £1.8 billion in revenue in the most recent year—the largest sum ever and the first time it crossed the £1 billion threshold.
According to a poll conducted among businesses, shoplifters are now stealing more than one item instead of just one or two because of the cost of living crisis.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, incidents against staff tripled, and they have been significantly higher ever since.
Retailers have invested approximately £1.2 billion in crime prevention strategies, such as body-worn cameras, more security guards, and CCTV.
