The government has promised a £7m “blitz” on retail abuse, shop theft and antisocial behaviour, as part of a new retail strategy launched this week.
The new three-year, seven-step blueprint – called Tackling Retail Crime Together – would “definitely shift the dial” on the retail crime “epidemic”, claimed crime & policing minister Diana Johnson, addressing a panel of more than 70 retailers, academics and police workers in Northampton on Monday.
Created in partnership with retailers, academics, police organisations and security companies, the blueprint builds on the 2023 Retail Crime Action Plan, launched under the previous Conservative government. It aims for improved collaboration between retailers and law enforcement, a renewed clampdown on organised crime, more police on the beat as well as an increased focus on the root causes of retail crime.
The standout measure will be the establishment of a new Retail Crime Fusion Cell, chaired by Johnson. It will “fuse” multiple sources of data, intelligence and knowledge gathered by polices forces, Opal, Trading Standards and HMRC, together with that provided by retailers into a single database.
The cell will publish six monthly reports tracking crime trends, future risks and successful tactics, which will help retailers and the police better prevent crimes. The data will also be used to identify “high harm” areas around the country, which will then receive additional police focus, as well as the creation of tailored local crime reduction plans.
As part of efforts to clamp down on organised crime gangs, the data will also be used to map the operations of organised crime groups across the UK.
The strategy also aims to reduce crime by “breaking the cycling of reoffending”, including by linking more closely to existing offender management programmes, including those being run by retailers and prisons.
Other measures include developing consistent standards for how retail crime and offenders are dealt with, including how evidence is gathered and shared, core definitions of offenders and crimes, and a record of best practice tactics for catching or preventing crime.
It will also work to improve the tracking of retail offences committed, police attendance and court outcomes.
“For too long, retail crime has been dismissed as ‘low level’ whilst businesses suffer and communities lose confidence in their local high streets,” Johnson told those gathered at Mitie’s Intelligent Security Operations Centre in Northampton.
“This new retail crime strategy demonstrates what can be achieved when government, police and the retail sector work in partnership and is another vital step in our fight back against this corrosive crime.”
Collaboration key to cutting retail crime
The new strategy comes alongside an additional £200m investment into neighbourhood policing, which will see patrols stepped up across 500 UK high streets and crime hot spots this summer, as part of the government’s Safer Streets Summer Initiative. Labour said this would mean there were an additional 3,000 officers on the beat by the end of the year.
Retail groups and crime experts have welcomed the plan. “This strategy marks an important shift from fragmented efforts to a unified, co-ordinated response,” said Emmeline Taylor, professor of business crime at City St George’s, University of London.
“While progress has been made in pushing back against the wave of criminality affecting the retail sector, we now need to build on that momentum – identifying what works through rigorous testing of innovative approaches, evaluating their impact, and scaling best practice.
“This is a strategy rooted in evidence, powered by partnership, and focused on reducing harm. It’s a call to action for everyone – from the police to policymakers to businesses – to play their part in creating safer, stronger, and more vibrant high streets,” Taylor added.
ACS government relations director Edward Woodall said: “Retail crime is not victimless, it harms local retailers, the people they employ, and the communities they serve.
“Tackling retail crime requires co-ordinated action, and this strategy is a vital step forward. We’re proud to support a plan that puts the safety of retailers and their colleagues at the heart of the response.”
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