Retail crime in the UK: Key insights from the BRC Crime Survey 2026

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has published its latest Crime Survey, revealing the growing scale and complexity of retail crime across the UK.

The findings highlight a sector facing sustained pressure from theft, organised crime and violence against retail workers. Despite significant investment in security, many retailers continue to experience high levels of incidents across their stores.

The report reinforces the need for a more strategic approach to crime prevention.

Retail crime remains a major challenge

According to the BRC Crime Survey 2026, retailers recorded 5.45 million incidents of shop theft during the past year.

Shoplifting alone accounted for £400 million in losses, while violence and abuse against retail staff continues to be a serious concern, averaging around 1,600 incidents every day.

For many retailers, these figures reflect the operational reality facing stores across the country. Theft is no longer confined to opportunistic incidents. Increasingly, organised groups are targeting multiple locations and repeatedly exploiting vulnerabilities in store layouts and security measures.

Significant investment in crime prevention

Retailers are already investing heavily to combat the issue.

The report estimates that the sector has invested more than £5 billion in crime prevention over the past five years, including security personnel, surveillance systems and other protective measures.

While this investment demonstrates the importance retailers place on protecting staff and assets, the scale of the challenge shows that technology alone is not enough.

Effective crime prevention requires a coordinated approach that combines deterrence, intelligence and evidence.

A strategic approach to retail security

Retail crime is evolving rapidly, and security strategies must evolve with it.

Successful retailers are increasingly adopting layered security models that focus not only on detecting incidents but preventing them before they escalate.

This includes:

• Understanding where and when incidents are most likely to occur
• Deploying visible deterrence to discourage opportunistic theft
• Using verified intelligence and evidence to support enforcement and prosecution

By combining these elements, retailers can reduce theft, improve store safety and minimise disruption to operations.

Supporting retailers to tackle organised retail crime

At DeterTech, we work with retailers to design intelligence-led security strategies that help predict risk, deter offenders and detect incidents when they occur.

Our approach combines overt deterrence, advanced monitoring and forensic evidence to reduce retail crime and support effective enforcement.

As retail crime continues to evolve, security must move beyond isolated measures and towards a coordinated strategy that protects stores, staff and customers.

Learn more about how DeterTech is supporting retailers to tackle organised retail crime.