Starmer criticises the previous Conservative government for treating shoplifting as a "low level" crime
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that the Labour government is taking firm action against growing retail crime by scrapping the "shoplifters’ charter."
During a Commons session on Wednesday (5), Claire Hughes, Labour MP for Bangor Aberconwy, raised concerns about businesses in the seaside town of Llandudno struggling with the rise in shoplifting.
She highlighted that in many cases thieves are stealing “in full view of staff because they just don’t fear the consequences.”
While welcoming the recent funding boost for neighbourhood policing, she asked the prime minister - “What more the government is doing to tackle retail crime and deter repeat offenders?”
In response, Starmer criticised the previous Conservative government for downplaying retail crime, potentially leading to increased incidents of repeat offenses.
Starmer said: “For far too long, crimes like shoplifting have been written off as low level.”
“That’s wrong, it’s devastating. The opposite party (Conservatives) left us with rising crime and effectively told police to ignore shoplifting under £200 worth of goods.
“We’ve got rid of that shoplifters’ charter and we’re working hard to make sure we get a grip where they lost control.”
Claire Hughes, Labour MP for Bangor Aberconwy,
Labour’s crackdown on retail crime
The Labour government has already announced several measures to tackle shoplifting and protect retail workers. These include:
- Introducing a specific offence for assaulting shop workers
- Recruiting 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs
- Assigning a designated officer to each community to collaborate with residents
Additionally, additional funding was allocated in the Autumn Budget to address retail crime:
- £100,000 (2025-26) for the National Police Chiefs’ Council to enhance crime prevention training
- £5 million (over three years) to expand Operation Opal, targeting organised retail gangs
- £2 million (over three years) to establish the National Business Crime Centre, supporting police and businesses
Shoplifting at record high
In the year to September 2024, police recorded 492,914 shoplifting offences in England and Wales—a 23 per cent increase from 402,220 the previous year, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This marks the highest level since records began in 2003.
The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual crime survey also revealed an alarming rise in theft and violence against retail workers.
The survey recorded more than 20 million theft incidents in the year to August 2024—equating to 55,000 thefts per day, costing retailers £2.2 billion. In comparison, there were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
In 2023/24, incidents of violence and abuse surged to over 2,000 per day, a sharp increase from 1,300 per day the previous year and more than three times the level in 2020, when daily incidents stood at 455.
These incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assaults, and threats involving weapons. Notably, 70 incidents per day involved a weapon, more than double the figure recorded the previous year.
UK seeing an alarming rise in shoplifting incidents (gettyimages)
Union reactions
Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), welcomed Starmer’s commitment to tackling retail crime and abuse of staff, calling they are “very real concern” for shopworkers.
“Keir Starmer’s response shows that Labour are serious in seeking to tackle a significant increase in theft from shops, which has almost doubled since the pandemic and rose by 23 per cent last year.”
“This contrasts with 14 years of the Conservatives refusing to support the calls from Usdaw and many major retailers for significant action,” he stated.
Lillis also expressed support for the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill.
“This new legislation will deliver a much-needed protection of retail workers’ law and introduce Respect Orders for repeat offenders,” he stated.
He also welcomed last week’s announcement by the home secretary to double funding to police forces to help them recruit 13,000 more uniformed officers to patrol communities and high streets.
The Union hopes that these new measures together will help give retail workers “the respect they deserve.”
Sukhi Basra