According to a prominent trade body, incidents of violence and abuse against shop workers surged to 1,300 occurrences per day last year.

In the year leading up to September 2023, incidents targeting staff increased by 50%, rising from 870 incidents per day the previous year.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) criticized the government's response to address the "crisis," labeling it as "woefully inadequate."

The Home Office has been approached for comment on the matter.

A survey conducted by the BRC revealed that the amount lost to shoplifting in the past year reached a record high.

Various business leaders are advocating for violence against shop workers to be classified as a separate offense in England and Wales, as it already is in Scotland.

The BRC highlighted that incidents against retail staff encompassed a range of offenses, from racial abuse and sexual harassment to physical assault and threats involving weapons.

Approximately 8,800 incidents resulted in injuries among staff throughout the year, according to the BRC survey.

The survey also found that theft by customers doubled to 16.7 million incidents annually, up from eight million previously.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, emphasized that despite substantial investments by retailers in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers continue to escalate.

Dickinson asserted, "No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety. This is a crisis that demands action now."

Retailers suffered a staggering £1.8 billion in losses due to shoplifting in the latest year, marking the highest amount on record and surpassing the £1 billion mark for the first time.

Some retailers noted that the cost-of-living crisis had altered the behavior of shoplifters, prompting them to steal larger quantities of items.

Incidents targeting staff tripled during the Covid-19 pandemic and have remained significantly elevated since then.

Retailers have collectively invested around £1.2 billion in crime prevention measures, including CCTV surveillance, increased security personnel, and body-worn cameras.

The BRC acknowledged the government's Retail Crime Action Plan as a source of hope, particularly its commitment to prioritize crime scenes involving violence against shop workers.

During the plan's launch in October, Policing Minister Chris Philp advocated for a "new zero-tolerance approach to tackling shoplifting."

In November, an open letter organized by the Institute of Customer Service, signed by over 50 businesses including John Lewis and the Post Office, along with several MPs, urged the government to ensure better recording of assaults on shop workers.

The Co-op reported a sharp rise in violence against shop workers last year, with 1,325 physical attacks on staff in 2023.

In September, the CEO of John Lewis described shoplifting as an "epidemic" over the past year. Photo by Canley at the English-language Wikipedia.