Overview
- Sir Mark Rowley said some shop security staff and employees have tipped off gangs, withheld CCTV and prevented witnesses from giving statements or attending court.
- Retail leaders pushed back, with the British Independent Retailers Association saying the sector has invested £1.2 billion in security against £2 billion in annual losses and has been working through a joint police–retail taskforce.
- The Met reports a 4.4% drop in shop thefts from April to December and an 82% rise in sanctions, yet only about 9% of cases lead to a charge.
- Official data show 529,994 shoplifting offences in the year to June, up 13%, while industry estimates put incidents in 2024 at over 20 million, implying most thefts go unreported.
- Rowley highlighted facial recognition, saying suspects can be identified in about 40% of cases and signaled support for wider database access and structural policing reforms, as a former Met detective criticized evidence handling and low outcomes.