New data reveals UK retail stores are safer since introducing retail crime intelligence technology, cutting the rate of violence and abuse by almost a quarter since last year.
UK retailers that use Auror, the intelligence platform used to record crime and connect the dots to repeat offenders, achieved a 24% drop in the rate of violent events compared to 2025.
London and Manchester high street shops saw a 21% and 20% reduction in the rate of in-store violence, respectively. Retailer reporting in Auror also showed the top 10% of offenders are responsible for up to 70% of retail crime.
Auror General Manager UK and Europe Mark Gleeson said there’s broad recognition that high levels of violence and organised crime are impacting our high streets, and this new data shows retailers are committed to doing something about it.
“Retailers have been world-class in their approach to get on top of this issue; understanding that creating safer high streets is a shared responsibility and have responded by coming together as a network to fight back,” he said.
“Stores are able to make more informed decisions about risk and safety by focusing on the top offenders driving the majority of harm across retail, and using that intelligence to work more effectively with police.
“Retailers are doing a phenomenal job, but we know there’s still more to be done to create safer retail spaces for everybody. Structured crime reporting, continued collaboration with police, and responsible risk detection technology for retailers will be key to building on this progress into the future.”
UK food-on-the-go retailer Greggs is one of many retailers driving down violence and abuse significantly across their shops, creating a safer environment for colleagues and customers.
Greggs CEO Roisin Currie CBE said “the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers is always our priority”.
“Retail crime remains a challenge for retailers across the UK, which is why we continue to invest in a range of measures to help keep our shops safe and welcoming places to work and visit,” she said.
“Through our use of Auror, alongside other security measures and close collaboration with police and industry partners, we're improving how incidents are reported, helping to identify repeat offenders and supporting more effective action against those causing the greatest harm.
“We're encouraged to see the positive impact we're having and remain committed to doing everything we can to reduce retail crime, support enforcement action and help ensure offenders face the consequences of their actions."
CeX Head of Loss Prevention Derrick Gough said "Auror has helped us to determine where our most impacted stores are within our network, and where threats and violence are taking place. It enables our Operations team with insights to ensure we’re looking after our frontline colleagues so they feel safe.”
Health, wellness and beauty retailer Boots, and health and wellness retailer Holland and Barrett, have also embraced a collaborative approach to crime reporting through Auror, sharply reducing serious events over consecutive years.
The focus of police on tackling retail crime in partnership with retailers has also powered these results. Auror’s direct-to-police reporting (DTPR) functionality for retailers allowed police in London to quadruple their positive outcome rate for retail crime offences (a charge, arrest, conviction or justice-based outcome), while many other forces across the country have also doubled outcome rates.
Auror is on a shared mission to reduce violent retail crime by 50% in 5 years by supporting retailers with tech-enabled collaboration, stronger partnerships, and responsible risk detection tools to create safer stores.
ENDS
Auror retailer data - rate of violence and aggression (2025 v 2026)
- United Kingdom: 8.9% of recorded events were violent in 2025, and fell to 6.8% this year (-24%).
- London: 13.7% of recorded events were violent in 2025, and fell to 10.8% this year (-21%).
- Manchester: 6% of recorded events were violent in 2025, and fell to 4.8% this year (-20%).
- Scotland: 8.5% of recorded events were violent in 2025, and fell to 6.6% this year (-22%).
- On average, retailers record more than 310 violent or threatening events in Auror across the UK every day.
- Repeat offenders are up to four times more likely to be violent.
Retailers record crime in Auror after the event occurs in their stores. Violent events can include assault, physical abuse, use of weapons, and serious forms of aggression. Data has been controlled to account for the increased use of Auror over time.
Case Studies: Retailers surfacing violent and organised repeat offenders
- UK-wide: A violent offender connected to more than 60 events in Manchester, London and Norwich was linked to £50k in stolen products.
- London: Retailers helped surface a multi-million pound organised crime group in London, with £500k of stolen product seized in July.
- Glasgow: 7 separate major retailers linked a known violent offender to more than 70 crime events across 19 different stores from Clydebank to Rutherglen to Cadder, and in central Glasgow in July.
- Glasgow: 6 retailers connected 72 events to an erratic offender that offended across Glasgow.
- Manchester: Highly aggressive offender across 3 retailers connected to 90 events and £10.6k in stolen products across Altrincham, Sale and Manchester, in September.
- Leeds: An aggressive offender linked to 45 events and £12.7k in stolen products was sentenced in July.
About Auror
Auror is a global software company providing a retail crime intelligence platform to the world’s leading retailers to record potential crime in their stores after it occurs, better collaborate with law enforcement on crime, and create safer stores for all.
Auror allows retailers to record events in a secure and structured way, helping them connect the dots to identify prolific and organised offenders. This information empowers retailers to make informed decisions to protect their people, customers, and property, and address the large scale of retail crime impacting our communities.
Globally, Auror is used by more than 85,000 retail stores and in more than 3,500 law enforcement agencies across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
