Last month, the UK’s Crime and Policing Bill completed its Second Reading in the House of Lords — a major step towards reshaping how retail crime is handled across the country. Among its most significant reforms, the Bill removes the controversial £200 threshold for so-called low-level theft and introduces a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
These proposals mark a clear break from the legislation introduced in 2014, which classified the theft of goods worth £200 or less as a summary-only offence. In practice, this often-meant cases were deprioritised, contributing to what retailers and officials have described as “effective immunity.” The system, many argue, has not kept pace with the sharp rise in both the volume and severity of retail crime.
A Growing Crisis: Retail Crime by the Numbers
The urgency for change intensified in March, when the British Retail Consortium released its Annual Crime Survey. The findings were stark: reports of theft, violence, and abuse against shopworkers had soared by 340 percent in just five years. Even more troubling was the suggestion that a significant proportion of incidents remain unreported, as businesses increasingly lose faith in the likelihood of successful prosecutions.
In November, the BBC highlighted this frustration. Andrew Goodacre, Chief Executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: “The delays in bringing perpetrators to court really does add insult to injury."
In a separate BBC report, Joanne Thomas, General Secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, described the scale of abuse facing retail staff as “shocking,” adding that the £200 threshold had “effectively become an open invitation to retail criminals.”
The Pressure on Police — and the Push for Better Collaboration
It is not only retailers feeling the strain. Police forces across England and Wales, along with organisations such as the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), are pushing to rebuild trust and strengthen their partnership with businesses. Initiatives like Safer Business Action (SaBA) Week, held in early November, reflect a growing determination to tackle the issue head-on.
For several years, the NBCC has emphasised the importance of improving how retailers share CCTV and digital evidence with police. Speaking at a retail conference on 19th November, the NBCC’s Lead, Supt Lisa Maslen, urged businesses to review their systems: “CCTV stills and digital evidence management systems (DEMs) are really, really important. Policing crime is very difficult, so for me it’s a real plea to look at what systems you have and how easy what you’ve got, is to share with police.”
This push for digitalisation is not new. Back in 2021, former NBCC Lead Supt Patrick Holdaway described DEMs as a catalyst for more effective collaboration, noting that the technology “provides a great opportunity for police forces and businesses to work together to ensure the swift collection of evidence allowing the police to bring offenders to justice as effectively as possible.”
DEMs in Action: A Force Leading the Way
To their credit, police forces have responded quickly. Almost every force in England and Wales is now using — or close to deploying — a digital evidence management system. South Yorkshire Police is a particularly strong example. Since adopting NiCE’s Evidencentral digital evidence management solution, the force has successfully onboarded retailers of all sizes, as well as major shopping centres and transport operators.
“We have made good progress with the large shopping centres in Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield, as well as local transport companies including buses, trains, and trams,” said Detective Inspector John Yoxall of South Yorkshire Police. “Our local councils are also sharing CCTV with us via the NiCE online portal daily. The next step is to onboard more small and independent businesses.”
Still a Long Way to Go
Despite significant progress, challenges remain. Many small retailers have outdated CCTV systems that make digital sharing slow or impossible. Others are hesitant to engage at all, uncertain whether reporting incidents will actually lead to action.
As DI Yoxall explains, demonstrating success elsewhere often helps: “When approaching a large national retailer, for example, we can bring to their attention how well the programme is working for stores in other regions. This goes a long way toward instilling confidence and removing any concerns they may have.”
A Crucial Season — and a Call to Action
December is a pivotal month for the retail sector. Busy shops, fuller shelves, and festive crowds create a perfect storm for opportunistic crime.
Against this backdrop, the need for strong collaboration between business and policing is more important than ever.
If you’re a retailer, now is the time to check your local police force’s website and ensure you know how to share video evidence quickly and effectively. Better tools and better communication can make a real difference — and with new legislation on the horizon, the landscape may finally be shifting towards stronger protection for retailers and their staff.
Retail crime is evolving, and strong evidence workflows matter more than ever. Explore how modern digital evidence management can help your organization stay ahead. Visit our website at https://www.nicepublicsafety.com/law-enforcement.
