Forensic Spray to Track Stolen Goods
Co-op marking commonly stolen items with forensic spray to track reselling

Wave of measures has helped cut offending in stores last year by a fifth as new retail crime law comes into force

Co-op is secretly marking commonly stolen items including alcohol and laundry detergents with invisible “forensic spray” to track them, in the latest crackdown on shoplifting as a new law on retail crime kicks in.

The supermarket aims to use the technique across the country having tested it in Manchester and London since last year.

The spray, which helps the Co-op identify where stolen items are being resold and report it to the police, contains a unique forensic code for a particular location where the items were sold, which also include sweets. Police can then identify which Co-op store the items originated from when investigating physical shops or online stores suspected of reselling stolen goods.

Police forces have used similar tactics to track down stolen bikes and valuables, and protect domestic abuse victims.

The technique is part of a raft of measures which the Co-op said had helped it cut crime in its stores by a fifth last year. It said physical attacks on its staff fell by almost a third year-on-year.

Paul Gerrard, policy director at the Co-op, said: “We have made it harder to steal things and now we are making it harder to sell.”

He said the group had invested about £250m in security measures including body-worn cameras for staff, more security guards, reinforced kiosks for high-value products such as spirits and tobacco and special shelving kit which prevents large amounts of goods being swept off into a bag.

It is also testing the use of AI to help identify unusual activity via CCTV cameras in stores and alert staff so they can intervene.

The Co-op has also teamed up with police in 20 areas to share evidence such as CCTV images to catch repeat offenders. In the last year, these partnerships have resulted in 500 prolific offenders receiving custodial sentences, collectively amounting to more than 100 years. theguardian.com


UK Prime Minister Makes Retail Crime Top Priority
Too Easy To Steal? Inside UK's Shoplifting Epidemic That Has Keir Starmer Worried

Retailers estimate losses running into billions of pounds annually, with theft costs often passed on to consumers through higher prices

The UK prime minister has made shoplifting a priority for three key reasons, the most crucial being the fact that it is no longer a low-level crime. Retail crime is increasingly organised, repeat-driven, and linked to wider criminal networks. According to a report by the Centre for Social Justice, stolen goods are routinely resold locally or used to fund other crimes.

Shoplifting is also closely tied to violence. According to The Times, nearly 80 per cent of retail workers report abuse. Over 50 per cent have been threatened and around 10 per cent assaulted. Two-thirds of attacks on retail staff are linked to theft incidents.

One of the biggest triggers has been the belief that shoplifting carries low risk of punishment. A previous rule discouraged investigation of thefts under £200. Many cases go unresolved or are dropped early and, in some areas, a majority of cases are closed without identifying a suspect. This created what critics called a “shoplifters’ charter", now scrapped by the government, Times reported.

Retailers estimate losses running into billions of pounds annually, with theft costs often passed on to consumers through higher prices. Even where data shows a slight stabilisation recently, experts warn the problem remains structurally high.

According to the Office for National Statistics, over 5,30,000 offences were recorded in England and Wales in a year—a 20 per cent jump and the highest since records began. There were around 5,19,000 cases recorded in 2025 alone, with Reuters quoting retail bodies as saying that the real number is far higher, with millions of incidents going unreported. news18.com


Shoplifting Crisis in the UK - Up 133% in 5 Years
UK: This is no way to stop the scourge of shoplifting
The ‘tide may be turning’ on shoplifting according to our ever-hopeful Prime Minister – despite the fact shoplifting offences have soared by 133 per cent over the past five years. It is hard to know whether we are being gaslit or trolled. Perhaps both.

In a speech to the union of shopworkers yesterday, Starmer said it is ‘disgraceful’ that shop workers have to take abuse from customers, and that shop owners can have their ‘lives and livelihoods ruined by persistent shop theft.’ He announced he was scrapping the rule that thefts under £200 are ‘not properly investigated’ by police.

Somehow the Prime Minister was simultaneously ‘not blind’ to the magnitude of the nation’s shoplifting problem, and wanted to emphasise that overall shop theft was down and the number of people charged up by 17 per cent. Ever a master of doublespeak, Starmer did not disappoint.

The PM seems to have been spurred into action by the public outrage over recent high-profile cases. The sacking of Walker Smith, the Waitrose worker I wrote about a few weeks ago, has been followed by a similar incident: Sean Egan was dismissed after 29 years of service at Morrisons after he attempted to stop a repeat shoplifter – who allegedly spat in his face. Some 200 members of the local community staged a demo outside the supermarket in protest after Egan was dismissed for not following the chain’s ‘deter-and-not-detain’ policy. spectator.com


Hiring Police to Guard Stores
Apple Spent $1.2M Hiring Police to Guard San Francisco Stores
It is no secret that retail theft has been a growing issue in major cities across the country. To keep its retail locations safe, Apple recently spent a large amount of money on extra security. A new report reveals that the tech giant paid the San Francisco police department roughly 1.2 million dollars. This money went toward hiring off-duty officers to stand guard outside its local stores.

These officers wear their official uniforms and stand outside the glass doors of the retail shops. Having a real police presence acts as a strong visual warning to anyone thinking about stealing expensive phones or computers. The strategy helps the brand protect both its employees and the physical items sitting on the display tables.

Hiring trained law enforcement officials for private security does not come cheap. Records show that the company paid an incredibly high hourly rate to secure its locations. The 1.2 million dollar bill covered a specific span of time, proving just how much money the brand is willing to spend to maintain order.

While private security guards are cheaper, they usually cannot make arrests or carry the same authority as real officers. By spending the extra cash to hire actual city police, the tech giant ensures that any trouble at its stores gets handled quickly and officially. macobserver.com


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