Retailers welcome £2bn police boost but urge for more action

Retail trade bodies have welcomed the £2bn funding boost for police forces in England and Wales, but cautioned that the investment alone will not be enough to tackle rising levels of high street crime.

It comes as Rachel Reeves announced in yesterday’s Spending Review (11 June) that the police’s spending power will rise by 2.3% a year in real terms over the review period, which adds up to more than £2bn for police forces. 

The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) said the increased funding was a “significant investment in policing to help protect our communities and high streets”.

Paddy Lillis, general secretary of Usdaw, said: “This spending review will help promote economic growth through investment and provide much-needed resources for our essential public services, which have suffered from 14 years of Conservative austerity. Usdaw is urging constabularies to use this investment in frontline policing with more uniformed officers patrolling our communities and high streets.

“Usdaw has long campaigned for legislative measures to combat the growing problem of retail crime, theft from shops and the abuse of retail staff; that is now being delivered through the Crime and Policing Bill. Today we have heard the chancellor’s choice to put the necessary money behind these legislative protections for retail workers.”

According to Crime in England and Wales statistics, police-recorded shoplifting incidents rose from 228,250 in the year to March 2021 to 516,971 in 2024 – spelling an increase of 127%.

Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) also welcomed the announcement but warned that the effectiveness of the funding would depend on how it is deployed. 

Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the BRC, said: “With the huge rise in retail theft and the continued impact of violence and abuse on retail colleagues, we welcome the announcement of an extra £2bn for policing, and we support the plan for an additional 13,000 neighbourhood police.

“The chancellor wants people to feel safer on their high street, and it is vital that some of the additional policing resources are focused on addressing both violence and abuse in retail, with over 2,000 incidents every day, and shoplifting, which costs retailers and their customers over £4bn a year.”

He also pointed to support for transport infrastructure and skills development, noting that retail is a major employer and contributor to local economies. 

Ironside added: “The next major test will come at the Budget, and the chancellor’s plan for the future of business rates. It is vital that these new reforms result in no shop paying more.”