Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood unveiled a £7 million investment to combat organised retail crime on Sunday as part of sweeping policing reforms designed to tackle everyday offences that have surged since 2010.

The funding will support intelligence-led policing to dismantle criminal networks targeting shops, with the government acknowledging that shop theft has risen 72 per cent over the past 15 years. The white paper 'From local to national: a new model for policing' commits that retail crime and assaults on shopworkers "will no longer go unpunished" through new powers and enhanced police-retailer collaboration.

Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium, welcomed the announcement. "Retail theft remains a major issue and is often linked to criminal gang activity," he told the BRC. "It not only harms businesses, but pushes up the cost of goods for honest shoppers."

The government will provide £5 million over three years to fund Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, helping forces understand tactics used by retail crime gangs and identify offenders. A further £2 million will support the National Business Crime Centre, which provides resources for police and businesses to share intelligence and prevent crime. An additional £100,000 will help the National Police Chiefs' Council identify and spread best practice.

Police forces conducted a Winter of Action from December to January focusing on retail crime, prolific offenders and night-time safety across town centres. The initiative built on summer patrols that increased visible policing in high streets based on local intelligence, with forces required to publish performance data on town centre crime outcomes.

Ministers are introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker whilst repealing legislation that made shop theft under £200 a summary-only offence. "This sends a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously," the white paper states.

The reforms extend the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to deliver 13,000 additional officers by the end of Parliament, with every council ward receiving named, contactable officers trained to tackle anti-social behaviour. Forces will gain enhanced powers through the Crime and Policing Bill, including the new Respect Order to ban perpetrators from engaging in harmful behaviour with consequences for breaches.

Ironside emphasised the need for sustained commitment. "Tackling this effectively will require sustained prioritisation from police and government, as well as close coordination with retailers," he said. "We look forward to seeing more details on the funding and to working with the Home Office to deliver real progress."

The broader policing overhaul includes £140 million technology investment, with artificial intelligence tools expected to free officers from administrative tasks to focus on frontline duties. The government will consolidate England and Wales' 43 forces into larger regional units, generating £350 million in savings to reinvest in neighbourhood policing and specialist capabilities.

A new National Police Service will coordinate serious crime investigations whilst setting mandatory performance targets, including answering 90 per cent of emergency calls within 10 seconds and attending the most serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban areas.

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