Retail Executives Point to Self-Service Technology and Lack of Police as Reasons for Rising Retail Crime

Apr 24, 2026, 14:29

Introduction

Archie Norman, chairman of Marks & Spencer, has stated that self-service checkouts are accidentally encouraging normally honest people to shoplift because of technical problems and a lack of staff supervision. He also called for a stronger police response after a large group of teenagers stole goods from a store in Clapham. Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, also demanded more police presence and noted that his company has started using facial recognition technology to deal with serious incidents. Official data show a small decrease in recorded shoplifting, but a large increase in robberies of business property. This change may be due to a recent Home Office clarification on how crimes are classified.

Main Body

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr. Norman argued that self-service technology has removed the personal connection between retailers and shoppers. This leads to situations where items do not scan and no staff are available to help. He claimed that such circumstances cause 'normally good, honest people' to justify taking unpaid goods, for example by putting unscanned strawberries into their baskets. While he did not call for a return to fully staffed checkouts, he emphasized the need to make the technology easier to use in order to reduce accidental theft. This comment comes as Marks & Spencer has expanded its use of self-service units, installing 800 additional machines in 2023 as part of a cost-cutting plan targeting £150 million. Separately, Mr. Norman described an incident at the company’s Clapham store, where over 100 teenagers entered and removed merchandise. He called this a 'police event' that requires active law enforcement, warning that normalizing such incidents makes people feel less safe. The call for more policing was supported by Mr. Roberts of Sainsbury’s, who reported that his company has become the first retailer to use facial recognition technology for staff security. He stated that in stores where the system is in use, incidents have fallen by 46%, and 92% of identified offenders have not returned. Mr. Roberts expressed that a more visible police presence would show how serious the issue is. Official crime statistics released this week reported 509,566 shoplifting incidents in the past year, a 1% decrease from 516,611 in the previous year. However, the Home Office gave new guidance in April 2025 saying that theft involving violence or threats against staff should be recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting. This change in classification may explain both the slight decline in shoplifting figures and the sharp 78% increase in robberies of businesses, which rose from 14,691 in 2024 to 26,158 in 2025. The data therefore present a complicated picture, where apparent improvements in one category may reflect changes in recording practices rather than real decreases in criminal activity.

Conclusion

Retail leaders say the current situation of retail crime is caused by a combination of poor technology design and not enough police, while official statistics suggest that changes in how crimes are classified may be hiding the true scale of the problem. The issue remains a main concern for the sector, with executives calling for both technological improvements and stronger law enforcement responses.

Vocabulary Learning

classification (n.)
categorization / the process of putting things into groups or classes分類；歸類
Example:This change in classification may explain both the slight decline in shoplifting figures and the sharp increase in robberies.
incident (n.)
event / an event, especially one that is unpleasant or unusual事件；事故
Example:He called this a 'police event' that requires active law enforcement, warning that normalizing such incidents makes people feel less safe.
justify (v.)
defend / to show or prove to be right or reasonable辯解；證明…正當
Example:He claimed that such circumstances cause normally good, honest people to justify taking unpaid goods.
normalize (v.)
standardize / to make something normal or usual正常化；使常態化
Example:He warned that normalizing such incidents makes people feel less safe.
shoplift (v.)
steal / to take goods from a store without paying店舖盜竊
Example:Self-service checkouts are accidentally encouraging normally honest people to shoplift.

Sentence Learning

The call for more policing was supported by Mr. Roberts of Sainsbury’s, who reported that his company has become the first retailer to use facial recognition technology for staff security.
Passive voice shifts focus to the action (the call being supported) rather than the doer. The relative clause 'who reported' adds extra information about Mr. Roberts.被動語態將重點放在動作（呼籲被支持）而非執行者。關係從句「who reported」補充關於Roberts先生的額外資訊。
While he did not call for a return to fully staffed checkouts, he emphasized the need to make the technology easier to use in order to reduce accidental theft.
The word 'While' introduces a contrast between two ideas: not calling for a return vs. emphasizing improvement. This helps organize the argument by showing a concession.「While」一詞引入兩個想法之間的對比：不要求回歸 vs. 強調改進。這有助於組織論點，顯示讓步。
Separately, Mr. Norman described an incident at the company’s Clapham store, where over 100 teenagers entered and removed merchandise.
The relative clause 'where over 100 teenagers entered...' provides additional detail about the location (the Clapham store). It connects the incident to the specific store.關係從句「where over 100 teenagers entered...」提供關於地點（Clapham商店）的額外細節。它將事件與特定商店聯繫起來。
However, the Home Office gave new guidance in April 2025 saying that theft involving violence or threats against staff should be recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting.
Linking word 'However' signals a contrast with previous information (the decrease in shoplifting). The passive 'should be recorded' emphasizes the action of recording rather than who does it.「However」表示與先前信息（盜竊案減少）的對比。被動語態「should be recorded」強調記錄的行為而非誰執行。
The data therefore present a complicated picture, where apparent improvements in one category may reflect changes in recording practices rather than real decreases in criminal activity.
Linking word 'therefore' indicates a logical conclusion or result from previous information. The relative clause 'where apparent improvements...' explains the nature of the complicated picture.「Therefore」表示從先前信息得出的邏輯結論或結果。關係從句「where apparent improvements...」解釋複雜圖景的性質。