Violence and abuse against retail workers fell by a fifth last year but remain at the second highest level on record, according to new research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

The retail body’s latest Crime Report shows that daily incidents of violence and abuse dropped from 2,000 per day in 2023/24 to around 1,600 in 2024/25. The BRC says this improvement reflects years of heavy investment by retailers in security and closer collaboration with police and government.

Retailers have spent an estimated £5 billion over the past five years on measures such as CCTV, security staff and improved data collection. Police engagement is also beginning to improve, with 13 per cent of retailers now rating the police response as good, up from nine per cent the previous year.

Despite this progress, the BRC warns that retail crime remains at “unacceptably high” levels. The 1,600 daily incidents of violence and abuse are still far above the 455 incidents per day recorded before the pandemic in 2019/20. Of particular concern, incidents involving physical violence have remained broadly unchanged at 118 per day, while there were on average 36 incidents per day involving a weapon.

Theft continues to be a major challenge. The BRC recorded 5.5 million detected incidents of shoplifting last year, costing retailers nearly £400 million. Parcel theft added a further £100 million in losses. With many incidents believed to go undetected, the true cost is likely to be significantly higher. The research also highlights the growing role of organised criminal gangs, which are increasingly targeting high‑value, easily resold goods and exploiting what the BRC describes as a lack of consequences from law enforcement.

The government is hoping to stem the tide of retail crime through the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. The legislation, which is expected to pass into law soon, will introduce a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker, increasing potential sentences and improving the visibility of offences so that police can better allocate resources. It will also remove the £200 threshold for “low‑level” theft, sending what ministers hope will be a clear message that all theft will be taken seriously.

The BRC says the new protections must apply to everyone working in customer‑facing roles, mirroring the approach already taken in Scotland, and is calling on the government to ensure that delivery drivers are explicitly covered in the final Act.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said violence against retail workers “remains endemic” and urged the industry and authorities not to lose momentum.

“This drop in violence and abuse has been hard won, but the job is far from done as numbers of incidents remain almost four times pre‑pandemic levels,” she said. “Theft remains a huge issue, with an increasingly concerning link to organised criminal gangs, who continue to systematically target one store after another, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods in one go.”

She added that retailers, police and government must continue to focus on consistent enforcement, better data and intelligence sharing, and targeted action against prolific offenders and organised gangs if levels of crime are to be driven down further.

Joanne Thomas, general secretary of union Usdaw, welcomed the fall in incidents but stressed that shop workers are still bearing the brunt of theft and aggression.

“The drop in violence and abuse is welcome news, but both Usdaw and BRC data shows that retail workers continue to face unacceptable levels of violence and abuse simply as a result of going to work,” she said. “The 5.5 million incidents of shop theft are in no way a victimless crime, with Usdaw evidence showing that two‑thirds of attacks on retail staff are triggered by theft or armed robbery.

“Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers. We have campaigned, along with many retail employers, for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the government has introduced the Crime and Policing Bill which includes a much‑needed protection of retail workers’ law.”

With crime levels still far above pre‑pandemic norms, the BRC and its partners argue that the challenge now is to turn what they describe as “hard‑won progress” into a lasting reduction in violence, abuse and theft across the sector.

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