Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has maintained that “the tide could be turning” on shoplifting and highlighted measures the government has taken to tackle retail crime.
Addressing shopworkers’ union Usdaw’s annual conference, Starmer described abuse of retail staff as “disgraceful” and said that the government is “calling time on the free-for-all.”
He was speaking after the official body, the ONS, reported a slight fall in shoplifting – down 1% to 509,566 last year – and as the government is creating a new offence of assaulting a retail worker.
Starmer said: “Working people, grafters, go to work, do the right thing, keep our high streets thriving, and yet too often they are abused or assaulted by people who think they can get away with it and just cheat the system. It’s disgraceful.
“We are currently reforming the police across the country so we can free up their time and their money to focus more on street policing, neighbourhood policing, and cracking down on anti-social behaviour. We’ve already got an extra 3,000 neighbourhood officers on the streets, and there’s more to come.
“We’ve scrapped the ridiculous regulation where thieves stealing goods worth less than £200 would not be properly held to account. That was a shoplifter’s charter, and we’ve ended it. We’ve toughened up punishment, too. We’re giving police stronger powers, making the abuse and assault of retail workers a specific crime and giving you the same protections as emergency workers.
“I’m not blind to how big a challenge this is. But the number of people charged has gone up by 17% in the latest stats. Shop theft is down – only slightly – but the tide could be turning. We are calling time on the free-for-all, standing firm, together, against the disgraceful crime of shop theft.”
Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas said: “While there has been a welcome small decrease in shoplifting across last year, the fact is retail crime continues to be a significant issue for the sector and, particularly, staff.
“We have campaigned along with many retail employers for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem, and we are pleased that the government’s Crime and Policing Bill has almost completed its passage through Parliament. This government immediately set about tackling the issue, and we are now starting to see the results of their investment in policing and funding for more uniformed officer patrols in shopping areas.
“The Bill delivers a much-needed protection of retail workers’ law, ends the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters and introduces Respect Orders for offenders. This government has also started the process of reforming police services to put a greater focus on local crime and provide a Local Policing Guarantee. We hope that these new measures will help give retail workers the respect they deserve.”
The Co-op’s director of campaigns, public affairs and policy, Paul Gerrard, said: “We welcome the continued government focus on this issue, as we know the tide of criminality can be turned and have seen first-hand crime levels reducing in the Co-op by more than 20% in 2025.
“But there is still work to do as we continue to invest significantly in wide-ranging safety and security measures, alongside successful partnerships with local police forces to target the prolific and repeat offenders. Local stores are an anchor in communities, and we all must continue to do all we can to protect them and those that work in them.”
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