Over a quarter of Leeds customers have seen shoplifting in the last year as retail crime reaches record levels

The poll carried out by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that 26 per cent of customers in the city have seen thefts in stores, which was the fourth worst rate in the country.

The survey follows a record level of retail crime across the UK last year, including 20 million incidents of theft and violence and abuse climbing to more than 2,000 reports per day.

Separately, shopworkers’ union Usdaw produced their own survey suggesting 77% of retail staff had experienced abuse, 53% had been threatened and 10% assaulted.

West Yorkshire Police has said it is “very much aware” of the concerns around shoplifting and that it is “involved in a variety of projects” to try and tackle it.

Nearly a quarter of the UK population have witnessed shoplifting in the last 12 months, the survey found, which is the equivalent of more than 16 million people seeing such an event.

It also found 23% of customers have witnessed the physical or verbal abuse of shop staff, including racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons.

Customers in Nottingham saw the most shoplifting, with 32% of people witnessing an incident, followed by London at 29%, Southampton (28%) and Leeds (26%).

Crime cost retailers £4.2 billion last year, including £2.2 billion from shoplifting and another £1.8 billion spent on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, the BRC said.

The Crime and Policing Bill proposes a separate offence of assaulting a retail worker with a maximum sentence of six months and also proposes removing the £200 low value limit for shoplifting, meaning the maximum sentence for shop theft will be seven years regardless of value.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Seeing incidents of theft or abuse has become an all-too-common part of the shopping experience for many people.

“While an incident can be over in a matter of seconds, it can have life-long consequences on those who experience it, making them think twice about visiting their local high streets.

“Criminals are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and decisive action is needed to put an end to it. The Crime and Policing Bill is a crucial step in providing additional protections to retail workers.

“However, in its current proposed form, it does not afford all retail workers the same protections as those working in Scotland, where delivery drivers are also protected.

“The Bill must protect everyone in customer-facing roles in the industry.”

There were more than 59,000 estimated incidents of violence in the convenience sector over the last year, and 1.2 million incidents of verbal abuse, the report said.

The survey found 59% of retailers believed that incidents involving organised crime had increased over the last year.

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A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “West Yorkshire Police Partnership Business Crime Prevention Group is very much aware of the concerns of businesses regarding retail theft. This is a nationwide issue raised by business groups with police forces across much of the country. 

“Neighbourhood Policing teams are involved in a variety of projects with businesses and Business Improvement District (BID) groups. Within each policing district, intelligence officers regularly review acquisitive crime offences to identify patterns of offending and put robust plans in place to address them. 

“Within West Yorkshire, the force is working at both a force and district level to catch, convict and deter offenders, whilst engaging with retailers to ensure effective crime prevention and security measures are in place.

“When prolific offenders are identified and prosecuted, we also look to make use of other measures such as Criminal Behaviour Orders to control their offending and provide longer-term solutions.”