Shoplifting is an issue constantly affecting small businesses. Richard Johnson, a small business owner, estimates that “shoplifting probably takes up about 70% of the police’s time. Dealing with shoplifting would cut crime by a massive amount and reduce police and courts’ workload, saving money”.
According to recent data from Plumplot, the rate of shoplifting in Nottinghamshire is 12.9 per 1,000 people, which is 4.1 higher than the national average.
On the surface, this rate might seem a little; however, shoplifting is historically underreported. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) recorded 5.5 million incidents of shoplifting nationally – 11 times lower than police records.
Peppers Stores, a small shop in Hucknall, Nottingham, has been operating for over 100 years. The owner, Richard Johnson, when asked how shoplifting affected his business, said that “margins are always hit, but there are additional costs such as time spent going through security footage”.
He also mentioned that it impacted his family, who are anxious about him being attacked while confronting shoplifters. Their concerns are valid. The BRC recorded 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers in 2026, with Richard himself experiencing “physical fights with staff and two knife attacks”.
In 2026, Nottinghamshire police launched a scheme called Operation Retail, led by PC Phil Yates, which removes the necessity to interview suspects where there is “clear and overwhelming evidence”, freeing officers to investigate other reports. Overall, this has been a success, seeing a 13.7% reduction in Nottingham town centre.
When asked if Nottinghamshire police has responded well to reports of shoplifting, Richard said that the “police have been great – responding to any value of theft. They always inform us of planned tactics and frequent reoffenders spotted in the area”.
Nevertheless, Richard recalls around 20 to 30 repeat offenders in Hucknall alone— some who have been shoplifting for as long as he’s been in business, saying that “they might spend a few weeks inside but are back out doing the same thing once released”. He believes that in order to break this cycle, the system needs to target the motivator— addiction.
According to the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), around 70% of shoplifting is committed by those in addiction.
In an NBCC interview, James Kelly, a recovered addict, said that “once you’re an addict, you accept that prison time is a part of life”. While inside, he was able to get clean, but once released, he was overwhelmed with five to six appointments that he was expected to get to in a single day—alone—so he ended up using again. Stating that he was “not taught about recovery”. In fact, according to the ‘Tackling Drugs in Prisons’ report, around 11% to 19% of prisoners develop a new drug and alcohol habit after entering prison.
Currently, courts can issue a suspended sentence with a drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR). However, data from the ‘Pathways between probation and addiction report’ show that only 35% of offenders actually successfully complete their treatment journey. When asked why this did not work for him, James Kelly said that “you’re overwhelmed with 5 to 6 appointments in a single day that you’re expected to get to alone. So, you just end up using again”.
In 2023, Nottinghamshire police started piloting the Open 2 Recovery (O2R) programme, which improves upon the current rehabilitation system. Described as “wrap-around care”; it supports offenders on their rehabilitation journey through frequent contact inside and outside of prison, therapy, and by providing transport to appointments.
37 people enrolled in the O2R programme and many recovered from addiction and did not go on to reoffend, preventing an estimate of £1 million of products from being stolen and the sale of around £385,000 of drugs.
A graduate of this programme is James Kelly, who after two decades of crime and addiction is now sober and is now helping other addicts on the journey to recovery.
Nottinghamshire police have announced plans to expand the programme across the country; but, given its success, I believe the O2R programme should be rolled out nationally. However, there are currently no MPs calling for this.
Michelle Welsh, MP for Sherwood Forest, has raised retail theft in the House of Commons and acknowledges that the majority of theft is by repeat offenders; however, she ignores its connection to addiction.
She suggests that “offenders should not be allowed to return to the same area and the businesses that they have committed their offence”. However, the European Crime Prevention Agency says that although this “does reduce situational crime…it does not address the motivations…causing offenders to shift their activities to nearby locations”.
The majority of shoplifting is committed by those in addiction. Implementing the O2R programme nationally could massively reduce shoplifting and other drug-related crime in the UK and provide small business owners, like Richard, with much-needed relief.
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