Investigating the growing phenomenon of retail crime, prolific offending and serious violence, 16 October 2025
Considers contemporary issues, best practice and challenges around retail crime that includes organised retail crime, prolific offending and issues around the increase in serious violence and abuse to retail staff and customers.
Offers practical strategies for investigators and the retail industry as to how to work together to bring about a more effective response. This will include considerations around how to increase reporting, how to streamline reporting and that offences are investigated.
This workshop comes at a time when retail crime is growing at an alarming rate and continues to be a challenge for investigators and the retail sector.
According to the British Retail Consortium’s Annual Crime Survey, retail crime is ‘spiralling out of control’ and is at its highest level on record.
It says that retail violence and abuse has increased over 50 per cent to more than 2,000 incidents a day in a year. Losses from customer theft reached a record £2.2 billion in 2023/24. There is chronic underreporting with less than three per cent of incidents reported to police.
Our expert
The workshop will be led by Emmeline Taylor. Professor of Criminology at City St George’s, University London, a leading authority on retail crime.
Professor Taylor is currently a member of the Steering group for the retail strand of Operation Pegasus, the National Police Chief’s Council Serious Organised and Acquisitive Crime Unit, the Home Office Retail Crime Forum, as well as the Met Police Retail Harm Reduction Partnership.
Professor Taylor gave evidence on shop theft to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee last year. She is also author of the report ‘Stealing with Impunity’ which was commissioned by the Co-op and sets out a ten-point plan to help tackle retail crime.
The workshop will consider the following issues:
Session One: An outline of the current extent of the problem of retail crime, prolific offending and serious violence, an assessment as to why the crimes are escalating and a look at the key challenges facing police and retail.
We’ll also look at current national work to address the issues which includes the launch of a Retail Crime Action Plan, a dedicated police unit to map out intelligence and Project Pegasus which aims to promote greater partnership working between police and the retail sector.
Session Two: An outline of the three types of retail criminals and a look at their motivations and rationale and how they operate. We’ll also consider what is meant by a high harm offender in retail crime.
The three types of criminals are:
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Organised Criminal Networks operating across jurisdictions
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Prolific Local Offenders who typically steal to fund addiction
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Opportunist thieves that include the emergence of a new type of the offender ‘the Swiper’ who steal items from self-service checkouts.
Session Three: practical strategies for investigators and the retail sector around improving their response. We’ll look at issues and challenges around reporting of offences and intelligence sharing and how they can be improved.
We will also consider the implications of calls to introduce new legislation that makes it a stand-alone offence to attack a shop worker.
Professor Taylor will speak about her research Stealing with Impunity that sets out a ten-point plan to curb career criminals and prolific offenders.
Who should attend?
The workshop is aimed at investigators and analysts and those working in the retail sector who want to develop and enhance their understanding of the current threat picture in relation to retail crime and serious violence.
• Held online via Teams.
• Certificates of CPD available.
HOW TO BOOK
Cost: £199 + VAT (GBP) per delegate (LEA and Government Agency rate). £249.50 + VAT (Industry rate).
Group bookings: We offer various discounts for group bookings depending on numbers, please contact us for details.
Booking: Please send the delegates name(s), email address(es) and purchase order (made out to The Investigator) to booking@the-investigator.co.uk or telephone +44(0)844 660 8707 for further information.
Payment can be made by PayPal/debit/credit card. The meeting link will be sent out 7 days before the event.