The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has warned the Home Affairs Select Committee that organised gangs are operating in plain sight in communities, stealing from shops on a massive scale and running dodgy shops with illicit products as part of a network of wider serious criminal activity.
In an oral evidence session to the Committee yesterday (16 June), ACS chief executive, Ed Woodall (left), set out the constant challenges facing local shops when it comes to organised crime, and the need for “a joined-up approach from the police and Trading Standards to tackle the problem effectively backed by more resources to enforce locally.”
The Home Affairs Select Committee is conducting an inquiry into the impact of serious and organised crime on local neighbourhoods, looking at the impact of shop theft, abuse, violence and illicit products in communities.
In addition to ACS and the British Independent Retailers Association, the Inquiry is also questioning the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the National Police Chiefs Council to build a complete picture of the problem and the solutions required.
During the session, the ACS was questioned on the nature of organised crime and the response of retailers to deal with the problem. In response, it highlighted the more than £300m a year spent on crime prevention and detection measures - invested primarily to keep colleagues and customers safe through technology like CCTV, body worn cameras and protective screens.
The association also raised concerns about the gap in reporting between official figures and the reality of theft facing stores. Around 500,000 incidents of theft are recorded for the entire retail sector by the police, while the 2026 ACS Crime Report shows that for the convenience sector alone, retailers have recorded over 5.8m thefts in the last year.
“One of the challenges we face as retailers is how to report into the authorities more effectively…”
Speaking during the session, Woodall said: “One of the challenges we face as retailers is how to report into the authorities more effectively, but the systems are not as streamlined as they need to be to enable that.
“Our request into policing is to find ways to streamline that reporting process to make it easier for retailers to report crime and give forces a true picture of the scale of criminal activity in their communities.”
Woodall added: “Dodgy shops are operating in plain sight on our high streets without fear of reproach, but these are often part of a network of wider criminal activity that involves theft, drugs, violence and other serious crimes.
“We need to do more to shut down these rogue traders, which can only be achieved with a major increase in funding for Trading Standards and closer links with the police when serious criminal networks are discovered.”
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