33 business robberies a day

Figures just released show that last year saw a record high in the rate of business robberies [stealing with the use or threat of force] with 12,000 being recorded in the year to July; an increase of 52%. Just one in ten ended with someone being charged. There was a noticeable increase of robberies using a knife or bladed article.

Additionally, 20% of retail staff said that they had been the subject of a violence. In 2022 the figure was one in ten.

The figures for robberies from private properties has remained largely stable which would suggest that criminals have switched their attention to business premises.

Unsurprisingly, there were a record number of shoplifting offences in the same period, with a total of 469,788; a 29% increase on the previous 12 months.

The government has promised 13,000 extra police personnel – not all of them will be police officers. The Policing & Crime Bill, expected to start its passage through parliament in the spring, will remove the “summary-only offence” rating for theft of goods worth less than £200. This was introduced by the last government and is widely thought to have been a major contributor to the epidemic of shoplifting that has happened over the past few years.