{"id":5152,"date":"2025-01-30T23:32:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T20:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/?p=5152"},"modified":"2025-01-30T23:32:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T20:32:09","slug":"uk-retail-crime-hits-record-high-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mongolianews.mn\/?p=5152","title":{"rendered":"UK retail crime hits record high \u2013 survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

At 55,000 incidents a day, theft and violence are \u201cout of control,\u201d according to latest industry report<\/strong><\/p>\n

Retail crime in the UK has reached unprecedented levels, with soaring losses from theft and rising violence against workers, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has reported.<\/p>\n

According to its latest annual crime survey<\/a>, shoplifting in the country has reached an all-time high, with more than 20 million incidents committed last year as of August 31, which equates to 55,000 a day. This cost retailers a total \u00a32.2 billion ($2.7 billion), adding further pressure to the mounting costs retailers already face.<\/p>\n

Violence and abuse against retail staff also spiked, with daily incidents exceeding 2,000, up from 1,300 reported the previous year. This marks a more than threefold increase from 2020, when the daily average was just 455. Weapon-related incidents doubled, reaching 70 per day.<\/p>\n

\u201cRetail crime is spiraling out of control,\u201d<\/em> said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. \u201cPeople in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The BRC report suggested that many of the incidents were linked to organized crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country, often stealing tens of thousands of pounds\u2019 worth of goods and moving around multiple stores.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Super-rich ditching UK \u2013 Times<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cEvery day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive,\u201d<\/em> Dickinson warned.<\/p>\n

According to the survey, satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61% of respondents describing it as \u2018poor\u2019 or \u2018very poor.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWith little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a license to steal, threaten, assault and abuse,\u201d<\/em> Dickinson argued.<\/p>\n

Responding to the report, police have claimed they have made \u201csignificant strides\u201d<\/em> in tackling retail crime over the past year.<\/p>\n

The country\u2019s new Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures.<\/p>\n

Latest data by S&P Global shows that retail sales in the UK continued to fall in January after a disappointing Christmas, and consumer confidence has dropped to its lowest level since late 2023.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Police
Do not use terms like \u2018black sheep\u2019 and \u2018blacklist\u2019 \u2013 guide for UK police<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Employers also slashed jobs at the fastest pace since the height of the Covid pandemic in 2021. Excluding the health emergency, the rate of job-cutting was the highest since the global financial crisis in 2009.<\/p>\n

The UK is facing a \u201cstagflationary environment,\u201d<\/em> where sluggish economic growth coincides with high inflation, said S&P chief business economist Chris Williamson, as quoted by The Guardian.<\/p>\n

A separate report issued by the BRC this week showed that British food prices have recorded their sharpest monthly rise since last April, marking an \u201cearly sign of what\u2019s ahead\u201d<\/em> for the economy. Year-on-year, the cost of food in January jumped 1.6% from the previous year.<\/p>\n

Dickinson has also warned that retailers would soon face the full impact of \u00a37 billion (nearly $9 billion) in new costs introduced in the last budget by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. On Wednesday, Reeves announced an overhaul to Britain\u2019s benefits system, to \u201ckickstart economic growth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At 55,000 incidents a day, theft and violence are \u201cout of control,\u201d according to latest industry report Retail crime in the UK has reached unprecedented levels, with soaring losses from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t