Responding to ONS stats that show shoplifting offences decreased by 2% (to 519,516) in the year ending June 2026, Lucy Whing, Crime Policy Adviser at the BRC, said:
“Retailers will welcome today’s figures, but progress on tackling shop theft is still too slow. Theft is not a victimless crime: it fuels violence against shop workers, and adds costs that ultimately hit shoppers’ pockets. With 1,600 incidents of violence or abuse against retail workers every day, the human toll remains unacceptable.
“The Crime and Policing Act granted police new powers to intervene and prosecute offenders, including a long-overdue offence of assaulting a retail worker. Yet six months after the new law passed, these protections have still not come into force. Retail workers face abuse every day - their safety must not be the price of government inaction.
“A nationwide week of action against retail crime begins on 9 November, bringing together police, retailers and government in a united effort to tackle offending. Ministers should seize the moment to announce the commencement date for these new protections, giving retail workers the reassurance they need and sending a clear message that violence and theft on our streets will not be tolerated.”
