Category Archives: Shoplifting

According to the website theindustry.fashion, incidents of retail theft have increased by 26% across ten of the largest cities in the UK.

Cases which include abuse, or physical assault, have also risen from the pre-COVID high of over 450 per day in 2019/20, to over 850 per day in 2022.

In a shocking story reported on the Daily Mail website, supermarkets and retails stores are being targeted by thieving criminals in an unprecedented shoplifting epidemic.
One Co-op outlet was raided by masked gangs three times on the same day, typically targeting store kiosk areas and alcohol aisles.

As reported on the BBC News website, Waitrose has reported a rise in shoplifting in its stores across the UK, blaming steal-to-order gangs and anti-social behaviour for the surge in cases.

Conservative MP James Sunderland said, “Gangs appear to be operating with impunity across the South East – not just at Waitrose but all supermarkets.”

From across The Pond, the New York Times website reports on how facial recognition technology is being used in the UK to combat the rising numbers of shoplifting offences.

When one such piece of software, Facewatch, spots a flagged face, an alert is sent to a smartphone at the shop.

The Luton Today website reports that a Bedfordshire police officer has resigned after she admitted to repeatedly stealing from a branch of Sainsbury’s.

PC Sarah Bell was caught by an in-store detective using a self-scan machine to pay £41 for goods that were actually worth £222.

A letter on The Guardian website details how one supermarket employee is “burnt out” from dealing with shoplifters in a London store.

The letter from an anonymous contributor details the massive increase in shoplifting and theft that is described as “to order”.