What the Data Tells Us: Key Retail Crime Patterns Emerging in 2025

Retail crime in the UK isn’t only increasing – it’s evolving. Though the vast majority of retail crime is still committed by local Offenders, new data highlights patterns of organised theft, mobile offenders, rising anti-social behaviour (ASB), and emerging fraud threats. Understanding these trends is critical for BCRPs planning smarter crime prevention. Here’s what we know and how intelligent platforms like Disc can empower local partnerships.

Shoplifting at Record Levels

Retail theft hit all-time highs in 2023–24, with more than 20 million incidents in the UK – equivalent to 55,000 offences each day and costing businesses an estimated £2.2 billion, up £400 million year-on-year.

This surge is being driven in part by organised retail crime, with small groups targeting multiple stores in a single day using distraction tactics and working to order. These operations are strategic, often planned across regions.

What this means for BCRPs:

• Share offender images and incident details rapidly across member stores.
• Build a collective intelligence base – record patterns, repeat offenders, and locations.

Disc’s offender gallery and alert tools support quick, coordinated response.

Travelling Offenders on the Move

Criminals are increasingly mobile, exploiting transport links to strike at vulnerable towns with limited police presence. These movements often go undetected when intelligence is trapped within localised systems.

Without cross-boundary sharing, offenders can reoffend with ease in neighbouring towns.

BCRP response:

• Share alerts across multiple towns and partnerships to track movement.
• Ensure offender intel follows the individual, not just the location.

Disc supports cross-area intelligence sharing at no extra cost, helping communities act before offenders strike again.

ASB and Violence Against Staff

Verbal abuse and violence against shopworkers has risen sharply. There are now over 2,000 incidents each day, up from 1,300 the previous year. Around 70 daily incidents involve weapons. The emotional toll is matched by reduced confidence in enforcement – 61% of retailers rate police response to retail crime as “poor” or “very poor”.

What BCRPs can do:

• Encourage fast, detail-rich reporting to capture ASB incidents clearly.
• Alert members to potential threats in real time.

Disc allows ASB and violence reports to be logged on the go, increasing awareness and helping to protect staff.

Emerging Fraud Threats

While physical crime dominates headlines, fraud continues to rise. Trends include growth in loyalty fraud, remote access attacks, and fake accounts. Reports show e-commerce fraud is increasing faster than revenue, with serious reputational and financial risks for retailers.

Role for BCRPs:

• Expand reporting scope to include fraud and cybercrime.
• Share patterns and scam alerts across partnerships.

Disc enables secure documentation and structured tracking of emerging fraud cases, alongside traditional ASB and theft.

Using Data to Predict and Prevent

Intelligence-led planning is now essential. Disc gives BCRPs the ability to visualise and act on key crime trends:

• Image-based reporting speeds up offender identification.
• Cross-area alerting ensures a travelling offender doesn’t go unchecked.
• Analytics dashboards highlight repeat offenders, hotspots and usage trends.
• Structured exclusion management reduces reoffending locally and regionally.

These tools allow BCRPs to move from reactive reporting to proactive intervention.

How Disc Enables Predictive Prevention

Disc offers a complete toolkit designed for today’s crime landscape:

• Incident logging with photo and voice inputs
• GDPR-compliant information sharing across towns and partnerships
• Automated exclusion tracking and data retention
• Real-time alerts and news feeds for member engagement
• Full analytics dashboard for monitoring crime and system performance

This level of capability enables smarter decisions, faster responses, and greater impact at the street level.

2025’s crime data tells a clear story: retail theft, violence, ASB and fraud are increasing—and offenders are getting smarter. For BCRPs, staying ahead means embracing smarter tools, sharing intelligence effectively, and using data to drive action.

Disc is already helping over 550 communities do exactly that. If you’re ready to turn insights into impact, get in touch today and discover how Disc helps you stay one step ahead.