Rise in violent retail crime in UK linked to repeat offenders, new data shows

Frontline retail workers faced a 12 per cent increase in violent behaviour last year according to new UK retailer data from global retail crime intelligence company, Auror.

The new statistics show the top 10 per cent of retail crime offenders were responsible for 68 per cent of total crime in stores, and those repeat offenders were 3.6 times more likely to use a weapon, and 3.1 times more likely to be violent.

Auror VP Trust & Safety Nick McDonnell said while these figures are confronting, it’s important that retailers surface these kinds of trends to then address the problem of prolific and organised retail crime, together.

“We’re seeing unacceptable levels of violence in retail - one in every 10 retail crime events involves a frontline colleague being punched, kicked, spat at, threatened with knives,” he said.

“These increases are on top of what is already an extraordinarily high level of serious crime in retail settings.

“However, diligent reporting by retailers using Auror shows that this shocking behaviour is directly linked to a small group of prolific offenders.”

Nick explained that “if we can work together to identify those causing the most harm, we can focus retail and police resources on those offenders to make high streets safer for everyone”.

“It’s fantastic to see such a strong focus by UK retailers, police and government to lean into technology like Auror to collaborate using shared information, connect multiple events to repeat and organised offenders, and deal with high volume crime at scale,” he said.

Retailer information in Auror supported a police investigation that dismantled an organised crime ring linked to £600,000, and another connected to £270,000 across 80 events from one retailer alone.

Devon & Cornwall Police has benefitted from the use of technology to deal with high volume crime. It reported a 10 per cent higher charge rate and 47 hours faster average time to process retail crime reports.

‍

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.

‍

Auror UK Retailer Data - 2025 YoY

• Use of weapons: +8%
• Violent events: +12%
• Threatening events: +1%

In the United Kingdom

• Top 10% of offenders were responsible for 68% of retail crime.
• 1 in 10 events involved violence or use of weapons.
• 1 in 7 events involved threatening or aggressive behaviour.
• Repeat offenders were 3.6x more likely to use a weapon.
• Repeat offenders were 3.1x more likely to be physically abusive.
• Knives (43%) were the most commonly used weapon last year, followed by needles, hammers and scissors.