As incidents of crime, from theft to abuse of retail workers, continue to remain high, shoppers are increasingly stepping in to support and protect store staff, the latest data from SAI Group, the leading AI intelligence solution for physical retail, reveals.

With the British Retail Consortium (BRC) estimating that 5.5 million incidents of shoplifting took place last year, costing the industry ~£400 million, retail crime remains rife. Retail workers also face a growing number of instances of violence and abuse, with 1,600 incidents per day reported last year, the second highest level ever recorded.

Stubbornly high levels of retail crime

Such is the prevalence of retail crime that consumers are witnessing rising levels of theft and abuse in-store. The BRC estimates 14 million consumers saw incidents of retail crime last year, while original research by SAI Group shows that 61% of shoppers have noticed more instances in the last 12 months.  

As inflation continues to rise – with food prices tipped to be +50% higher in November than at the start of the cost-of-living crisis – consumers expect this financial strain to worsen retail crime rates. Three quarters (76%) believe incidents of theft and abuse will rise further in the next 12 months.

Despite recent changes to the Crime & Policing Act last month, including tougher penalties for shoplifting and stronger protections for retail staff, UK consumers remain doubtful that this will create meaningful change. Seven in ten (68%) believe stricter punishments will fail to remedy retail crime and reduce levels of abuse and shoplifting faced by store associates while on shift.

Shoppers step in to prevent crime

With two fifths (37%) of customers feeling angry when witnessing retail crime and a further 34% feeling sympathetic towards retail staff, this – alongside the perception that store workers remain vulnerable despite stronger legislative protection – is prompting more customers to step in. 

SAI Group’s research points to customers becoming ‘have a go heroes’, with over a third (36%) saying they have stepped in to support retail workers facing physical abuse, rising to 54% of Millennials. A further 43% have shown their support to retail staff facing verbal abuse, also rising to 59% of Millennials. 

Shoppers are also stepping in to help tackle shoplifters, with 33% physically apprehending thieves in-store when retail workers either weren’t available or weren’t able to prevent it, rising to 49% of Gen Z.

“While it’s clear customers want to support retail workers, retail crime prevention requires holistic strategies that are proactive rather than reactive – they must act as a sword and a shield,” said Som Sinha, CEO of SAI Group, which uses AI and Computer Vision to prevent crime in-store. 

“While theft and abuse are rooted in criminality, they are also symptoms of broader operational blind spots and store complexity.” 

“Stores need systems in place, not just to protect store workers when crime happens, but to proactively prevent instances of crime taking place in the first place. That requires store-wide data and real-time actions to effectively stop crime before it escalates,” Singha concluded.