As incidents of crime from theft to abuse of retail workers remain high, shoppers are increasingly stepping in to support store staff, the latest data from AI surveillance experts, the SAI Group, has revealed.
With the British Retail Consortium (BRC) estimating that 5.5m incidents of shoplifting took place last year, retail crime remains rife. In addition to theft, retail workers also face a growing number of instances of violence and abuse while on shift, with near-record levels per day reported last year.
Such is the prevalence of retail crime that consumers are also reporting witnessing rising levels of theft and abuse in stores. The BRC estimates 14m consumers witnessed retail crime last year, while original research of over 1,000 UK shoppers by SAI Group shows 61% have noticed more incidents of crime in-store in the last 12 months, rising to seven in ten (72%) of Gen Z consumers.
Despite the upcoming tougher penalties for shoplifting and stronger protections for retail staff, UK consumers remain doubtful that this will create meaningful change. 68% believe stricter punishments will fail to remedy retail crime and reduce levels of abuse and shoplifting faced by store associates while on shift.
With two fifths (37%) of customers feeling angry when witnessing retail crime and a further 34% sympathetic towards retail staff, this - alongside the perception that store workers remain vulnerable despite stronger legislative protection - is prompting more customers to step in, the new survey has suggested.
SAI Group’s research points to customers becoming ‘have a go heroes’, with over a third (36%) saying they’ve 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.
Som Sinha, CEO of SAI Group, said of the results: “While theft and abuse are rooted in criminality, they’re 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.”
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