The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC’s) recently published Annual Crime Survey makes for grim reading. Retailers report a sharp increase in theft, and acts of violence and abuse are up a staggering 340 percent (since 2020) as well. These trends are occurring in spite of huge retail security investments, new policing initiatives, and legislative changes put in place by the UK government to bolster the prosecution of retail crime.
The rising crime rate is indeed cause for concern, but police forces should be particularly preoccupied by the fact that 61 percent of retailers (polled in the BRC’s survey) have once again rated their response to retail crime as poor or very poor.
Even more troubling is the fact that only 32 percent of incidents involving violence and abuse in retail settings were ever reported to the police, and just 2 percent of all retail crimes are ever prosecuted.
There are a lot of initiatives underway, both at a force and governmental level, focused on dispelling the widely held belief that nothing is being done to fight retail crime. But given that history often repeats itself, we need to ask what real actions can be taken to ensure next year’s BRC survey doesn’t produce the same dismal results?
It's not just a rhetorical question. Fighting retail crime is an uphill battle. There’s extraordinarily little incentive for would-be criminals to not engage in retail crimes. Retail theft (up to £200) is a summary-only offence (with offenders subject to the same fines as individuals who commit minor driving offences, or engage in drunken and disorderly conduct).
Recently, however, it seems that the government is intent on giving retail crime the measure of attention it deserves. In the King’s Speech in July 2024, the government announced a new specific offence for assaulting a shopworker, punishable by a maximum six-month prison sentence and an unlimited fine. In the same speech, the government also signalled it was allocating additional funding to tackle organised retail crime.
Evolving legislation and tougher sentences are important steps in the right direction. But they can only serve as meaningful deterrents if they are enforced. Given that many retail crimes are never prosecuted, let alone reported, this highlights the importance of improved police-retail collaboration and information sharing in the fight to reduce retail crime.
Perhaps this is why, in its Annual Crime Survey, the BRC called attention to the need for retailers to alert police to every incident. Transforming this idea into a reality hasn’t been easy, but working together, the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have done some excellent work in this area. Specifically, the two organisations have created a streamlined and standardised process for sharing CCTV and body-worn camera footage, leveraging Digital Evidence Management technology that exists and is widely used by police forces today.
For example, by signing on to the programme and registering their CCTV cameras in NICE Investigate, retailers can easily share videos with participating forces. This rapid information sharing goes a long way toward helping to solve and reduce crime.
This use of DEM technology is also a key component set out in the Retail Crime Action Plan, an initiative that illuminates policing’s commitment to tackling retail crime. The plan outlines how retailers can make better use of their security investments (notably camera technology) while also taking advantage of the investments police forces have made in Digital Evidence Management technology to streamline evidence-sharing, speed up investigations and improve prosecution rates. Today, nearly every police force in England and Wales is using DEM technology, with over half opting to deploy NICE Investigate.
Thanks to this innovative technology, collaboration between retailers and police forces is on the rise. And, police forces are getting out in the community and proactively educating retailers on the idea.
In recent months, North Yorkshire Police officers have taken to the streets to engage with retailers and encourage them to take advantage of DEMs’ evidence-sharing capability. It’s a similar story at Cheshire Constabulary, where in Macclesfield local officers have been working closely with the business community to increase confidence in reporting thefts and using, where possible, NICE Investigate to make it easier for staff to send in their CCTV images. As Sergeant Matt Bassirat said: “We will not stop in our efforts to tackle retail crime and would urge shops to report the thefts to us when they happen. It is vital thefts are reported to us so we can find those responsible and make Macclesfield a safer place for those who live, visit and work in the town.”
Retailers across the UK can expect to see much more of this proactive engagement during 2025.
The challenges that lie ahead in tackling retail crime should not be underestimated. But the good news is – there is consensus amongst all parties that something must change. Politicians, police forces, and businesses are all motivated and engaged, and the underlying technology and plans have been set in motion to support them.
In the past, without straightforward ways to share supporting video and evidence, some retail crimes undoubtably went unprosecuted, even unreported. But with the aid of legislative support and DEMs technology, police forces and retailers are now turning the page.
