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Retailers Blasts London Mayor on Lax Crime Policies
M&S accuses Sadiq Khan of being soft on crime

Retailer urges Mayor to ‘prioritise effective policing’ after teenagers cause chaos in Clapham store

Marks & Spencer has hit out at Sir Sadiq Khan for failing to get a grip on crime, warning that lawlessness is putting the public at risk.

In its most significant intervention on the issue to date, the retailer urged the Mayor of London to “prioritise effective policing” as “more brazen, more organised and more aggressive” attacks ramp up across Britain’s high streets every day.

Shopkeepers are bracing for what is feared will be a weekend of chaos. Mobs of youths have run riot this week in London, including invading a Marks & Spencer shop in Clapham. It has fuelled fears of growing lawlessness and prompted a warning from the Metropolitan Police to parents and teenagers before the bank holiday weekend.

Thinus Keeve, Marks & Spencer’s retail director, said staff had been headbutted and taken to hospital following an ammonia attack in the last week, as he urged Labour to do more to tackle shoplifting and crime.

Marks & Spencer executives have written to both Sir Sadiq and Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, demanding they do more to address the problem. Mr Keeve said attacks were becoming “more routine”. Despite the disorder, Sir Sadiq dismissed claims of London being unsafe as “lies” this week.

Marks & Spencer urged the Mayor and the Home Secretary to come clean on “the true scale and impact” of shoplifting, calling for more transparency around crime statistics.

Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Keeve said: “I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London – something none of us believes, and very few people working in retail would see.

Shop bosses have consistently argued that more must be done to tackle an epidemic of shoplifting, but have largely focused their attention on the police. telegraph.co.uk


Washington Governor Vetoes Funding to Fight ORC
‘I had to veto those programs’: Gov. Ferguson cuts retail crime funding as lawmaker says WA theft crisis grows
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is facing criticism after vetoing $500,000 in funding aimed at combating organized retail crime, a move that comes as the state continues to grapple with some of the highest theft rates in the nation.

Ferguson issued the veto just before signing the state’s supplemental operating budget, removing funding that lawmakers had proposed to continue efforts targeting retail theft. He explained that state agencies are already being asked to do more with less after taking significant budget cuts last legislative session, and this year they are facing another $1 billion in reductions.

Washington has ranked among the hardest-hit states for organized retail crime, with Forbes naming it the worst in the nation in 2024. The impact has been significant, with businesses, according to many experts, losing more than $2.5 billion in revenue and the state missing out on more than $600 million in state and local tax collections.

State Rep. Mari Leavitt, a Democrat from University Place, criticized the decision and warned it could undermine recent progress.

Data from the first half of 2025 showed increased activity in King County, where prosecutors filed 142 retail theft cases between January and June — more than double the average over the previous four years. Other counties, including Snohomish and Spokane, also used the funding to strengthen coordination among law enforcement and expand diversion programs.

According to the Washington Retail Association, the pilot program generated hundreds of law enforcement responses and thousands of retail crime reports in its early months, while identifying more than a thousand individuals eligible for diversion programs. mynorthwest.com


The Debate Over Anti-Shoplifting Regulations
Costco & Walmart face self-checkout crackdown as new law targets shoplifting
A crackdown on self-checkout will soon hit major retailers including Walmart, Target and Costco - with limits on how many items shoppers can scan potentially next.

Under the proposal, stores would be allowed to operate no more than eight self-checkout machines at a time. It would also require stricter staffing rules - with workers overseeing no more than two machines each, and at least one traditional staffed checkout lane open for every two self-checkouts in use.

Supporters of the planned new rules in Connecticut say the move is needed to curb theft and reduce the pressure on employees who are often left monitoring large clusters of machines alone. Shoplifting costs $47.8 billion a year.

The rules would apply to major retailers, including Walmart and Costco, as well as smaller convenience stores and pharmacies.

But critics argue the bill risks going too far and could slow down shopping for customers. ‘It’s an overreach for sure,’ said state representative Steve Weir. ‘This seems like another punitive regulation on business rather than a real solution.’

State data shows that in 2022 - the most recent year available - retailers in Connecticut lost $895 million to shoplifting, while the state lost $56.8 million in sales tax revenue. Supporters say the measures could help curb theft, but critics warn they may lead to higher prices and longer lines. dailymail.co.uk


Retail Theft Units Having an Impact
‘Don’t steal, it’s as simple as that’: Bakersfield police crack down on retail theft
It’s a small team with big results. The Bakersfield Police Department’s retail theft unit is earning high praise after recovering thousands of stolen items in a single year.

No more just going through self-checkout without scanning every item. No more walking out of stores without paying. Within the last year, hundreds of arrests have been made, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise have been returned to retailers.

Organized retail theft has been a long-standing problem in California. But in Bakersfield, police are fighting back, saying theft hurts everyone. BPD’s retail theft team is made up of only eight people – one sergeant, six detectives, and one person in an administrative role.

The latest report shows nearly 500 arrests and more than 6,000 items recovered — worth about $137,000 — all in a single year and with its partnership with retailers.

Garrett invites retail bosses to monthly meetings to work together in fighting crime. “(When) this person goes and steals from Ross, they don’t only go there. They go to HomeGoods. They go to Target. They go to all these other stores,” Garrett said.

“Truly, politicians and law enforcement are starting to understand,” said Vice President of Asset Protection at Home Depot, Scott Glenn. “These aren’t insurance claims, these aren’t covered, these aren’t things that businesses can absorb. This is an impact on businesses in their communities that impacts their ability to serve their constituents.”   kget.com


Thieves Struggle to Sell Stolen Luxury Goods
They stole $10 million worth of artwork, but they may not make a dime.
Criminals are growing bolder, stealing priceless art, jewels and truckloads of goods — but it's harder than it looks for them to cash in on their heists.

Because massive heists immediately dominate global news cycles, thieves quickly find themselves stuck with highly recognizable merchandise that even underground buyers are too afraid to touch.

"The trend is typically going to be smash-and-grabs," Kelly adds. "That's the easy part. Once you've stolen it, now you have to figure out how to monetize it. And it's really impossible."

Aging building infrastructure and the speed of smash-and-grab thefts make museum theft appear lucrative, Kelly says. Thieves often don't know what they're stealing and struggle to resell perishable or traceable goods like food, as many of the items have identification labels.

Cargo heists — including recent thefts of $400,000 worth of KitKat bars and, in a separate incident, lobsters — are often hit-or-miss operations, former FBI special agent Robert Wittman tells Axios.

One major exception is jewelry theft, which remains lucrative because the items are harder to trace and easier to resell. Even though diamonds have identifiable "fingerprints" and luxury watches carry unique serial numbers, thieves can still profit, Scott Guginsky, executive vice president of the Jewelers' Security Alliance and a retired NYPD detective, tells Axios.

Unlike with stolen paintings and sculptures, jewelry can be melted down for its metals or broken down for gemstones, Guginsky says. "You put it on your wrist... go through TSA, arrive in another country, ... and you sell it. It's gone." axios.com


‘Cereal’ offender busted for sneaky shoplifting trick at grocery store checkout

Trump seeks $152 million to rebuild, reopen Alcatraz