The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has called for action as figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that shoplifting has risen by 13 per cent.

The ONS figures show shoplifting offences rose to 529,994 incidents during the 12 months ended June 2025.

Bira said that investment in local communities would help its members take pride in their shops and High Streets, adding that it has spent years calling for more targeted investment based on local needs.

The ONS figures align with Bira‘s own survey of independent retailers, which revealed that 83 per cent believe retail crime has worsened over the past year, with physical abuse incidents nearly doubling.

Whilst overall theft offences recorded by police have decreased by four per cent, Bira said the rise in shoplifting demonstrates that retail crime continues to surge.

Bira added that there was a five per cent increase in theft from the person, which covers crimes such as pickpocketing, to 145,860 offences, which also highlighted the jump in retail crime.

According to Bira’s crime survey, 91 per cent of physical abuse incidents and 47 per cent of thefts go unreported because retailers have lost faith in police response.

When incidents are reported, Bira’s research found that just 16.7 per cent lead to prosecution.

The association said that this indicates that the true scale of retail crime is far greater than even the official ONS figures suggest, with repeat offenders accounting for nearly 70 per cent of incidents according to its members.

"We welcome the Government's commitment to 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers by March 2026 and the Crime and Policing Bill measures, including ending the £200 theft loophole and creating a new offence for assaulting retail workers,” said Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of Bira. “However, we urge swift implementation of the Government's Winter of Action - the renewed focus on tackling shop theft in town centres following the summer crime blitz - and call for consistent police response standards across all forces.”

He added that Bira would also like to see greater use of community behaviour orders (CBOs) in order to deal with persistent offenders and that independent retailers need “visible” support now to protect their businesses, their staff, and their livelihoods.

The organisation plans to continue monitoring crime figures through its bi-annual crime survey of independent retailers and will be presenting these findings to the Home Office, police forces, and policymakers across the UK.

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