Keir Starmer to call time on ‘disgraceful’ shop theft ‘free-for-all’
Starmer will tout tougher police powers and a specific crime for abusing retail workers as shoplifting incidents topped 500,000 last year, Usdaw said.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Monday a crackdown on shoplifting, ending the effective immunity for thefts under £200 and deploying 3,000 neighbourhood police officers to combat "disgraceful" attempts to "cheat the system."
- Starmer described the previous policy for thefts under £200 as a "shoplifters' charter," citing more than 500,000 shoplifting incidents last year that the Government now aims to address.
- Retail trade union Usdaw reports nearly 80 per cent of shop workers experienced verbal abuse and 10 per cent were assaulted, with two-thirds of attacks triggered by theft.
- New legislation in the Policing Bill will make assaulting retail workers a specific crime; Joanne Thomas, Usdaw general secretary, praised it as "much-needed protection of retail workers' law."
- Parliament is currently debating the final draft of the Policing Bill, while the Government invested £5 million in Opal, a specialist policing intelligence unit designed to identify harmful offenders and disrupt shoplifting gangs.
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City MP welcomes Government action to tackle shop theft and protect hard working retail staff
Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed the Government “calling time on the free for all” on shop theft, as the Prime Minister sets out tougher action to protect the retail staff who keep Britain’s high streets running.
Starmer Pledges to End Shoplifting ‘Free-for-All’ in the UK
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will toughen measures to tackle shoplifting and violence against shop staff, after complaints from retailers including Marks & Spencer Group Plc about the scale of the problem.
Joanne Thomas praises role of women in trade union movement in first conference speech as Usdaw general secretary
This weekend, Usdaw’s first woman general secretary Joanne Thomas gave her first speech to the union’s delegate conference since taking on the role. Thomas was elected as general secretary of the union – which represents shop workers – in July 2025. Thomas used her speech to praise the role of women in the trade union movement. She told the conference: “It has been a particular honour, and responsibility, to be elected as Usdaw’s first woman Gen…
Starmer says ‘tide could be turning’ on shoplifting epidemic
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his Government had ended the ‘shoplifters’ charter’ for goods worth less than £200. Sir Keir Starmer claimed “the tide could be turning” against shoplifting as he set out the Government’s efforts to crack down on retail crime. The Prime Minister said shop thefts were “slightly down” in the latest figures and he wanted wider use of technology which allows CCTV footage to be shared immediately with the police. …
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