TURNING THE FOUNDATIONS INTO LASTING IMPACT
We have today published the BRC Crime Report 2026, covering the period from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.
This year’s survey has been updated to better reflect the issues facing today’s retail industry, ensuring we capture the challenges that matter most to businesses and their colleagues.
There are early signs of progress. Violence and abuse against shopworkers has fallen from 2,000 incidents a day to 1,600. Improvements in police response, stronger partnership working between retailers, government and policing, and sustained investment by retailers - almost £5.5 billion over the past five years - are beginning to make a difference.
However, the scale of the problem remains unacceptable. Incidents are still far higher than the pre-pandemic level of 455 per day in 2019-20. Any level of abuse is too high. Violence and abuse continue to have a profound impact on staff wellbeing, confidence and retention, and there is much more to do.
Customer theft is now firmly embedded across the industry, accounting for the majority of recorded crime. Organised criminal groups are exploiting gaps in enforcement, online resale platforms and prosecution thresholds, leading to repeat and increasingly brazen offending. Delivery theft has also become a significant and growing issue, with losses exceeding £100 million.
Police response remains central to deterrence and retailer confidence. Inconsistent attendance and follow-up in previous years contributed to widespread underreporting and weakened trust in the system. While this is beginning to improve, with around half of retailers now reporting a positive police response, this level of collaboration is not yet consistent across all areas. Where police have dedicated the necessary resources and attention, outcomes have improved, demonstrating what can be achieved through focused partnership working. The priority for the year ahead must be to ensure these effective approaches become standard practice everywhere, supported by consistent enforcement and clearer, more straightforward reporting processes.
Our priorities for the year ahead
- Offence for assaulting a retail worker in England and Wales to become law
- Minimum value threshold for investigating a retail crime removed
- Consistent police response to retail crime
- Retailers playing their part by reporting all incidents, giving the police the full picture
We will be hosting an Operations Community meeting to discuss the findings in more detail. Further information will follow.
We are grateful to all members who contributed to this year’s survey, and to our partners, Sensormatic Solutions, for their support.
