Retail workers face 'shocking' abuse as shoplifting cases double in Wales

Retail workers are falling victim to violence and abuse, as shoplifting cases "double" in Wales.

Shop owners have expressed concern of the rising incidents, with the Welsh Retail Consortium calling for tougher penalties for those who break the law.

Matthew Hunt, director of Filco Supermarkets in Llantwit Major, said there was a huge spike in shoplifting activity in the stores last year and now the company has switched to AI programmes and CCTV monitoring.

He said: "Towards the end of last year from about August to October, we saw a huge spike in (shoplifting) activity in the stores and we were looking at gang style team of people entering the store specifically targeting products that they needed."

  • Matthew Hunt, director of Filco Supermarkets in Llantwit Major, speaking about the rises in shoplifting incidents

He added: "We saw that activity spike through the back end of last year. We took the decision at that point to increase our protection.

"There are three layers of protection in the store. We use CCTV monitoring. We've got AI programme that monitors suspicious behaviour.

"So, individuals putting things in their pockets or bags, that would be highlighted to us. And we also deploy facial recognition for those people who have been prosecuted of a theft in our stores.

"They'll get loaded onto the programme and we'll get a notification when they enter the store."

The latest ONS available data for the year ending June 2023 shows there were 19,353 recorded offences of shoplifting in Wales between July 2022 and June 2023.

  • Sara Jones, director of the Welsh Retail Consortium speaking about the "truly horrendous" surge in violence towards shop workers

Sara Jones, director of the Welsh Retail Consortium called figures of violence towards shop workers is "truly horrendous".

She said: "I think we are really shocked by the figures of violence and abuse towards shop workers.

"What we've seen is a doubling in the number of those incidents and it's something that I know our retailers spend a huge amount of money in terms of trying to support and keep colleagues safe.

"But what we need to see is a similar response both from the police but also from the UK government and we're asking from them to create a stand alone offence of violence and abuse towards retail staff."

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A Home Office spokesperson said: "The policing minister has been clear police must take a zero-tolerance approach to shoplifting. Violence against a retail worker is unacceptable, which is why we made it an aggravating offence to ensure tougher sentences for perpetrators. 

"We continue to work closely with retailers. The police have committed to patrol more areas and attend more shoplifting incidents, especially where violence has occurred.

"Good progress has been made on these commitments, however we will continue working closely with police and the sector to catch more perpetrators."

Chief inspector Dan Howe said: “The Retail Crime Action Plan, launched in October last year, sets out our commitment to tackling shoplifting and prioritising attendance where violence was involved or a shoplifter was detained.

"In the first month after the Plan was launched there were positive outcome for 287 crimes in Cardiff including charges and cautions. 254 of these have been in the city centre.

"This is more than double the volume of the same period last year so demonstrates the impact that we’re having but also underlines the scale of the issue and importance of embedding the benefits over the longer term.

"In addition to these charges, many of the offenders have been linked to crimes that were previously reported and admitted their involvement.

"As such, several of the more prolific offenders will appear in court with these matters being taken into consideration, which will feature as part of the sentencing decision. Operational implementation of the plan has shown significant impact in terms of police attendance to this type of incident.

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"A number of factors impact police attendance and includes whether an offender has left the scene or been let go before police were called, how soon after the incident it is reported, whether a retailer may not support a prosecution, or when officers are dealing with or are diverted to an urgent incident elsewhere.

"We know retail crime can have a significant impact on victims, which is why we are committed to doing all we can to reduce thefts and pursue offenders, especially those prolific and habitual offenders who cause misery within the community.

"The Retail Crime Action Plan sets out clear guidelines for the response to retail crime this has been embedded into our operational work.

"Where appropriate we will use retrospective facial recognition to identify and bring to justice those caught on CCTV."

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