The British media is already talking about the “Year of the Shoplifters”: more and more people are being stolen and employees are being attacked. Business owners criticize the lack of police work – and are now taking an unusual measure.
The thieves are becoming increasingly bold and aggressive – and they come from all age groups. “There are mothers putting goods in strollers, there are pensioners, children and teenagers on wheels,” says Benedict Selvaratnam, who owns a small supermarket in south London. He counted up to nine shopliftings a day. “We’re seeing a big increase in organized gangs stealing to order, whether it’s coffee, honey or meat.”
“Epidemic of shoplifting”
Like Selvaratnam, it’s not just the owners of “convenience stores”, small shops that supply their neighborhoods with food and other everyday goods. The major retail chains in Great Britain are also complaining about a significant increase in thefts. The boss of department store operator John Lewis, Sharon White, recently spoke of an “epidemic,” and the newspaper “Mirror” called 2023 “the year of the shoplifters.” Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show that reported thefts in England and Wales rose by around a quarter (26 percent) in 2022. The BRC estimates the damage at almost a billion pounds (1.16 billion euros) a year.
Instead of becoming a luxury item Everyday products Stolen
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the situation “clearly unacceptable.” The industry primarily blames rising costs of living for the increasing thefts. While previously primarily expensive items were stolen, everyday products are now being stolen more frequently, says Muntazir Dipoti, president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, which represents independent retailers. But modern phenomena also played a role. There are more and more young people filming themselves stealing and uploading the clips to platforms like TikTok – others are imitating this.
“It’s worse than ever,” trade expert Scott Dixon told the Mirror. Shoplifters are becoming more and more shameless. Insults and even attacks from employees are increasing, the PA news agency quoted association leader Dipoti as saying. Dozens of owners have recently given up, and women in particular no longer dare to work alone in the shops.
“We need more police officers on site”
Owner Selvaratnam has installed a glass panel on his counter to protect cashiers and installed dozens of surveillance cameras. But that is still not enough. “We need a stronger police presence, especially in the evenings,” says Selvaratnam. Whenever he called the police, they never showed up. This is also why many shop owners do not report thefts at all. London police have admitted that they are far from being able to investigate all thefts. As a first step, association boss Dipoti is calling for a one-off payment of 1,500 pounds to all shop owners for security measures. “The dealers would feel taken seriously and supported, which would give them self-confidence,” he says.
Penalties too lax
Small shops and large companies alike also complain about lax penalties. Anyone who steals goods worth a maximum of 200 pounds usually gets away with a small fine. “Shoplifting has effectively been decriminalized,” says retail expert Dixon. Large retail chains such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose are now resorting to self-help at their own expense. They have already hired undercover investigators and equipped employees with body cameras.
Retail chains fund police work
Now they also want to finance the police investigation. A total of ten companies pay the equivalent of 700,000 euros. In return, the investigators run the recordings from surveillance cameras through their databases and also use facial recognition software. The police hope that this will give them an overview of the thieves’ gangs operating in the country for the first time – and, says the responsible State Secretary Chris Philp, this will benefit all shop owners.
Benedict Selvaratnam is not convinced. He has thought about selling several times, but no offer has been high enough to cover his investments. “It seems like we have to accept that this is the price of running a small business,” he says. “Until the situation improves, we have to move on and try to deal with it ourselves.”