Shoplifting has hit new heights this year, with offences now at the highest level ever recorded in England and Wales
Experts in retail protection services, have issued a stark warning about the escalation of aggressive ‘storming’ in supermarkets across the UK, predicting a significant rise during this summer.
Supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Aldi and shopping centres could see an increase of this forceful form of shoplifting, where thieves operate in groups to openly steal goods, experts have said.
In England and Wales, shoplifting offences have soared to their highest ever figures. The last year witnessed a staggering 516,971 incidents, per the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
However, retailers argue these official statistics still massively undervalue the true extent of the crisis. Kingdom Security’s Director of Service – Retail, John Nussbaum, attributes the climbing rates partially to organised criminals who audaciously snatch items on demand throughout the nation.
Mr Nussbaum said: “We are dealing with people stealing out of necessity, if they can’t afford food, and they usually only take what they need, but we are also seeing a worrying rise in ‘storming’ from more professional, and brazen, shoplifters.”
The term ‘storming’ describes the increasingly prevalent and violent trend of shoplifting where culprits, normally in teams of two or more, boldly enter stores with the intent to take as much as possible.
Given the group dynamic, these shoplifters often exhibit more violence, unpredictability, and aggression, posing a threat to both store personnel and bystanders.
“Shoplifting is becoming more and more brazen, which is a concern for the safety of shop staff, shoppers and security staff,” warned John. “If people are willing to steal without any pretence, what else are they willing to do?”.
“Shoplifting is no longer a victimless crime – if it ever was. The shoplifters storming into supermarkets, sweeping spirits off the shelves, and emptying entire aisles of laundry detergent, are also threatening staff with knives, verbally abusing people and overall acting very aggressively.
“Security staff are there to protect shop workers and customers, as well as recover stolen items, but there is a good chance that many perpetrators are carrying knives, and in that case the safety of everyone needs to come first.”
John urges shoppers to be vigilant to the increasingly violent incidents of shoplifting, asking shoppers to keep alerting security staff and avoiding any shoplifters who appear to be using aggressive tactics.
“Luckily, security guarding and advanced technology means we can identify repeat offenders and work to keep the public safe and continue to deter would-be shoplifters,” said John.
“We try to ask people who are caught stealing why they are stealing, and educate them on the impact on supermarkets, shop workers, security and themselves. But with storming, it is harder to communicate with people, as they are often aggressive to staff.”
The British Retail Consortium’s crime survey, which found retail theft increased 25% in 2023-24 on the year before to more than 20m incidents – the highest since records began in 2003. As well as the financial cost – companies lost about £2.2bn – the BRC spotlighted violence and abuse against retail workers, with incidents rising to more than 2,000 a day.
A Tesco spokesperson previously said the safety of customers and colleagues was its “absolute priority” and that the company had invested tens of millions of pounds in safety and security.
“Recent measures include installing protective screens, providing body-worn cameras and strengthening door entry systems,” they said. “We have also invested in developing our central security hub, which is an expert team dedicated to joining up evidence and supporting the police to tackle crime and shoplifting, helping to keep our colleagues and customers safe.”