States, Retailers & ORC Associations Wage War on Theft
Retail Theft Epidemic Prompts Nationwide Action
As the new year begins, retailers are continuing their fight against elevated levels of theft, violence and organized retail crime. Although the retail industry still contends with high levels of theft and violence, progress has been made across several states and jurisdictions, specifically involving organized retail crime (ORC) activity.

Quantifying organized retail crime in totality has many challenges. Many states realize that the volume of retail theft, cargo theft and online frauds are due to increased demand from ORC groups seeking to resell stolen products.

As of 2025, 28 states have established criminal laws focusing on either those engaged in ORC or enhanced penalties for those who steal repeatedly to resell stolen goods. Several states and jurisdictions have established task forces comprised of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, focusing on the investigation and prosecution of those involved in ORC.

The number of ORC associations has grown in recent years. These associations have opened doors to improve legislation, enhance investigations and build cooperative relationships. See a full list of these associations, and find one in your state, here.

Many of these task forces have grown over the past few years, emphasizing the need for resources, partnerships and laws combatting these crimes.

To curtail the current level of theft, retailers have been forced to implement certain security measures, with some causing disruptions to the shopping experience. Recognizing the disruptions of certain security measures, many retailers continue to partner with industry solution providers to bring innovative solutions that not only protect people and goods but also change the landscape of retail theft and violence.

"Retailers and solution providers must work together to build and drive technology that goes beyond thwarting theft in the moment to predicting it so we can proactively lower the chance of violence by mitigating crime. Neither party can achieve this feat alone," says Tony D'Onofrio, president of Sensormatic Solutions. hardwareretailing.com


Record-Breaking ORC Convictions?
Phoenix-area prosecutors break record for organized retail theft convictions
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office says they broke a record for the number of organized retail theft convictions in a single year. According to county officials, the office successfully prosecuted 300 cases of organized retail theft (ORC) in 2024, breaking the previous record of 297 in 2019.

The office has also seen law enforcement increase the number of related cases for referrals. This year alone, the office saw 891 cases, up 45% from 2019. Last year, Arizona's Family reported about a man accused of stealing $37,000 worth of goods at Valley retailers like Target and Home Depot.

Additionally, three women were indicted in early 2024 after Phoenix police discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen health and beauty products.

"In recent years, ORC has cost retailers billions. The impact of ORC trickles down from retailers to the consumer, resulting in higher prices, limited inventory, and eventually store closures. Worse still, ORC contributes to other criminal activity in our communities, such as drug and human trafficking and money laundering," the agency said in a news release.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell credits increased collaboration with business owners and law enforcement agencies to help curb the issue. The agency recently launched a campaign to raise awareness about the consequences of buying potentially stolen products.  azfamily.com


55,000+ UK Retail Theft Incidents Per Day in 2023/2024
Theft also reached an all-time high with over 20 million incidents

UK: Retail crime incidents soar to more than 2,000 a day, BRC survey shows

Retail crime is at its highest level on record, according to new figures released today from the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) Annual Crime Survey.

The survey reveals incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before.

This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were 455 incidents a day. Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.

With the total number of incidents continuing to grow, and their nature becoming increasingly aggressive, satisfaction with the police remains low, with 61% of respondents describing the police response to incidents as 'poor' or 'very poor'.
 
Theft also reached an all-time high with over 20 million incidents (over 55,000 per day) costing retailers £2.2bn in 2023/24 (up from £1.8bn the previous year).

Many more incidents are linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods and rotating around multiple stores.

Unsurprisingly, the amount spent on crime prevention is also at a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 bn on measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras, up from £1.2bn the previous year.

This takes the total cost of crime to £4.2bn, up from £3.3bn and adds to the wider cost pressures retailers already face, further limiting investment and pushing up prices for customers everywhere. talkingretail.com


Despite UK Retail Crime Surge, Pegasus Partnership is Bearing Fruit
Retail crime: Record levels of theft and violence in our shops

The Co-op's food business says a partnership between police and retail is helping turn the tide ahead of long-promised help from the government, as an annual industry report paints a bleak picture for both stores and their staff.

The Co-op Group's lead on retail crime said that a partnership known as Pegasus, which began in October 2023, was starting to bear fruit for retailers.

Paul Gerrard said police engagement had improved since the intelligence-sharing initiative began, with police attendance rising up to 66% last year as a whole in his chain's experience.

"Before October 2023, police were turning up about two times in every 10," he said of its reporting of crime. "In most cases we had to let the offender go... now police are turning up more, which is helping reduce offending."

Co-op's own initiatives to cut crime include a continuing trial of AI technology that can detect both concealed goods and physical assaults.

It also deploys undercover teams and spent £5m last year on the rollout of new secure kiosks around its tills and shelves containing high value goods such as spirits and cigarettes to help better protect products and staff.

"Our (financial) losses from crime were broadly flat at around 1,000 incidents a day in 2024 in our stores", Mr Gerrard said, while violence was down by 13% with 3 to 4 colleagues attacked per day.  news.sky.com

RELATED: Theft and violence in UK retail soar to record levels, survey shows

 
Overview of Crime Trends in 40 Cities
'Shoplifting was the only offense higher in 2024 compared to 2023'

Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Year-End 2024 Update

This study updates and supplements previous U.S. crime trends reports by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) with data through December 2024. It examines yearly and monthly rates of reported crime for 13 violent, property, and drug offenses in 40 American cities that have consistently reported monthly data over the past six years.

Reported levels of 12 of the 13 offenses covered in this report were lower in 2024 than in 2023; shoplifting was the only offense higher in 2024 compared to 2023.

Looking at changes in violent offenses from 2023 to 2024, the number of homicides in the 29 study cities providing data for that crime was 16% lower, representing 631 fewer homicides. There were 4% fewer reported aggravated assaults, 15% fewer gun assaults, 6% fewer sexual assaults, and 4% fewer domestic violence incidents last year than in 2023. Robbery fell by 10% while carjackings (a type of robbery) decreased by 32%.

Reports of residential burglaries (-13%), nonresidential burglaries (-6%), larcenies (-5%), and drug offenses (-3%) all decreased in 2024 compared to 2023. But rates of reported shoplifting, a crime that has received extensive attention from the media and policymakers, increased by 14% over the same period.

Examining trends over a longer timeframe, most violent crimes are at or below levels seen in 2019, the year prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic and racial justice protests of 2020. There were 6% fewer homicides in the study cities in 2024 than in 2019. Similarly, sexual assault (-26%), domestic violence (-11%), and robbery (-19%) were lower in 2024 than in 2019. In contrast, aggravated assaults (+4%), gun assaults (+5%), and carjackings (+25%) were higher in 2024 than in 2019.

Property crime trends have been mixed over the last five years. There were fewer residential burglaries (-38%) and larcenies (-12%) in 2024 than in 2019, but more nonresidential burglaries (+12%) and shoplifting (+1%)..  counciloncj.org


NYC Crime Drops
3% fewer grand larcenies, a 4.8% decrease in robberies and a 2.8% dip in burglaries

NYC sees dip in major crimes, new data shows
The Big Apple saw a 2% drop in major crime in the first few months of the fiscal year - along with a dip in transit crime, an early peek at Mayor Eric Adams' annual report revealed.

The Adams administration is expected to tout a 7% drop in transit crime, a 9% reduction in car thefts, 3% fewer grand larcenies, a 4.8% decrease in robberies and a 2.8% dip in burglaries from July to October of last year compared to the same time period in 2023, according to a City Hall source.

The leaked data comes from the Preliminary Mayor's Management Report. The full report is set to be released Thursday afternoon and will provide a report card for city services.

"The data shows that there were fewer victims of major crimes from July to October - and thousands fewer victims of major crimes in the entire year as overall crime was down in 2024 - but we remain focused on the work that still needs to be done to continue to ensure New Yorkers both are safe and feel safe," Adams said.

The announcement comes as New Yorkers are reeling from gruesome crimes that captured headlines and put Big Apple residents on high alert.  nypost.com


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