Tackling Shoplifting: Developing a Comprehensive Plan Under a New Government to Tackle an Escalating Challenge

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Date of Event: Thursday, January 23rd 2025
Time of Event: 9:30 AM — 1:00 PM GMT
Place of Event: Webinar

Key Speakers

• Edward Woodall, Government Relations Director at the Association of Convenience Stores
• Cllr John Woolf, Executive Member for Community Safety at Islington Council
• Stephanie Coombes, Head of Intelligence & Tactical Lead for the Organised Retail Crime Team at Opal

Can the new Labour government succeed in tackling the UK’s growing epidemic of shoplifting? Shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales have risen to the highest level since current police records began in 2003. More than 430,000 offences were recorded last year – up by more than a third than the previous 12 months to December 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Organisations representing retailers say these figures represent a fraction of the true number of incidents. A recent survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that alongside the surge in shoplifting there has also been an increase in violence towards shop workers. It found that incidents against retail staff – including racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assault and threats with weapons – rose by 50% in the year to September 2023.

Labour have pledged to tackle shoplifting by recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers. Its Crime and Policing Bill will aim to tackle retail crime by creating a new specific offence of assaulting a shopworker and introduce “stronger measures to tackle low-level shoplifting”. The government also aims to strengthen community policing, with the creation of a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, restoring patrols to town centres via the thousands of new police officers, police and community support officers, and special constables, and with communities and residents having a named officer to turn to when things go wrong.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Retail Crime Action Plan, developed in partnership with the previous Conservative government, and launched in October 2023, which commits to urgently attend scenes of violent shoplifting, is thought to have seen some success. Alongside this, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners convened a new business and police partnership, the Pegasus initiative, which aims to radically improve the way retailers are able to share intelligence with policing, to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders, including through the development of a new information sharing platform and training for retailers.

The BRC’s Graham Wynn argues, however, that “inadequate police action” has given criminals “free rein” to steal goods and that “thieves are becoming bolder, more aggressive, and more frequently armed with weapons”. He has called on police forces to “get tough” on retail crime and ensure it is a high priority in future local policing plans. Laurence Guinness, head of London-based anti-poverty charity the Childhood Trust, highlights, meanwhile, that the high cost of living and families “on the breadline” has resulted in increased shoplifting offences, with money not stretching far enough to meet the needs of the households”.

This symposium will offer an important opportunity for police, local authorities, retailers and other key stakeholders to discuss the rise in shoplifting and its drivers, current legislation, government policy, and the changes needed to tackle the growing problem.

Programme

• Understand the key drivers for the rise in cases of shoplifting in the UK 
• Examine existing government policy in this area and develop comprehensive action plans the new government should take to tackle shoplifting and its causes
• Learn about and assess Labour’s plans to tackle shoplifting, including those set out in the Crime and Policing Bill
• Discuss current police powers to tackle shoplifting and how the police can be better empowered to apprehend and prosecute offenders
• Exchange best practice on preventing shoplifting from the retail security and local policing perspectives
• Develop strategies for improving the safety and treatment of retail staff
• Learn how business and police can work in partnership to improve intelligence sharing to better identify offenders
• Bolster the role of local authorities in tackling shoplifting and retail crime 

Who Should Attend?

• Local Authorities Councillors and Officers
• Business Investment Districts
• Economic Strategists
• Entrepreneurs
• Town Teams
• Local Authority Planners
• Local Government Planning Committees
• Town Centre Managers
• Police Forces
• Police Associations and Regulators
• Police Officers
• Chief Constables
• Special Constables
• Deputy Chief Constables
• Assistant Chief Constables
• Chief Officers
• Chief Inspectors
• Chief Superintendents
• Commanders
• Borough Commanders
• Police Training Providers
• Police and Crime Commissioners 
• Deputy Mayors for Policing and Crime
• Community Safety Partnerships
• Community Monitoring Groups
• Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Crown Prosecution Service
• Legal Professionals
• Victim Care/Advocacy Organisations
• Neighbourhood Policing Teams
• Community Cohesion Officers
• Community Engagement Officers
• Local and National Businesses
• Banking, Property and Retail Sectors
• Retailers, Landlords and Investors
• Property Sector Trade Organisations
• Economic Development Officers
• Directors of Economy and Environment
• National Trade Associations
• Town Centre Stakeholders
• Tourism Managers
• Property Management Officers
• Estate Agent Associations
• Retailers and Leisure Operators
• Investors and Developers
• Urban Designers and Architects
• Architectural Liaison Officers
• Regeneration Officers
• Community Development Officers
• Neighbourhood Management Teams
• Civil Enforcement Officers
• Community Safety Managers
• Local Authority Parking and Traffic Management Teams
• High Street Business Associations
• British Chambers of Commerce
• British Business Improvement Districts
• Small Business Federations
• Local Enterprise Partnerships
• Management Consultancy Associations
• Directors of Human Resources
• Human Resources Teams
• Combined Authorities
• Police Community Support Officers
• Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Trade Union Representatives
• Violence Reduction Units
• Academics, Analysts and Researchers

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