'The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2026'
The report found that retailers experienced a 12.4% decrease in shoplifting incidents and an 8.1% decline in retail merchandise theft in 2025 compared with 2024

Retailers See Fraud Schemes Evolve as Shoplifting Declines, NRF Study Finds
WASHINGTON – Retail store theft levels are stabilizing, but external theft and fraud overall continue to rise, according to a new study released today by the National Retail Federation and the Loss Prevention Research Council and sponsored by Sensormatic Solutions. The Impact of Theft & Violence 2026 report found that retailers experienced a 12.4% decrease in shoplifting incidents and an 8.1% decline in retail merchandise theft in 2025 compared with 2024, while other methods of external theft, fraud and scams increased over the same period. These findings highlight the evolving nature of organized retail criminals exploiting both the physical and digital retail environments.

“After years of rising in-store theft, retailers are beginning to see levels stabilize, driven by investments in technology and employee training to strengthen store security and improve response to these crimes,” said NRF Vice President for Asset Protection and Retail Operations David Johnston. “However, significant challenges remain as organized criminals continue to exploit vulnerabilities throughout the retail environment as seen in the rise of various fraud schemes and thefts including cargo theft, phone scams and gift card fraud.”

The decline in shoplifting and merchandise theft incidents can be attributed in part to retailers’ ongoing efforts to evaluate, implement and refine security measures designed to deter theft and reduce losses. Strategies like enhanced interior and exterior security systems, as well as store- and employee-specific safety protocols, have contributed to these improvements. In addition, retailers have strengthened their ability to analyze loss patterns and assess the effectiveness of various security measures in addressing different types of theft.

The 2026 report demonstrates a concerning shift as criminals move beyond traditional shoplifting to more sophisticated external theft schemes, with retailers reporting higher rates of repeat offenders (50%), ORC-related incidents (40%) and walkout or pushout theft (37%). Fraud is also rising, with phone scams (69%), loyalty fraud (51%) and gift card theft or fraud (42%) increasing.

Violence remains a significant concern for retailers, which continue to report increases in homelessness-related disruptions and guest-related incidents. In response, retailers are strengthening proactive workplace violence prevention efforts by investing in management training (72%), employee training (65%) and risk-intelligence technologies (61%), among other measures designed to enhance safety for employees and customers.

Consistent with last year, reports of store-related theft incidents to law enforcement remain low, with 63% of retailers reporting fewer than half of these incidents. Retailers cite several factors for not reporting, including low-dollar losses or not meeting felony thresholds (60%), as well as concerns about lack of law enforcement response and follow-through (54%).

Following passage in the U.S. House of Representatives, NRF urges the U.S. Senate to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which would strengthen federal coordination and equip state and local law enforcement to better identify and investigate cross jurisdictional and transnational retail crime groups.

   View The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2026 study here.


The Value of ALPR Technology
Retailers Expand Anti-Theft Camera Networks

By the D&D Daily staff

Automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology has become one of the fastest-growing tools in retail security, and for good reason. As organized retail crime groups become increasingly sophisticated and mobile, retailers are looking beyond traditional cameras to technologies that help investigators identify suspects, connect incidents across multiple locations and support investigations that lead to the recovery of stolen merchandise.

ALPR systems capture license plate numbers along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color. When combined with video surveillance, witness statements and other investigative tools, the technology can provide valuable leads following thefts, cargo crimes and repeat offender activity. For retailers with multiple locations, these systems can also help identify vehicles linked to organized theft crews operating across a region.

As with many security technologies, ALPR systems have prompted discussions about privacy, data retention and data sharing. Those conversations are likely to continue as adoption expands, and retailers should remain transparent about how these tools are deployed and managed.

At their core, however, ALPR systems are investigative tools. They do not replace trained loss prevention professionals or law enforcement, nor do they determine guilt or innocence. Instead, they provide investigative intelligence that can help identify suspect vehicles, connect related incidents and support investigations into organized retail crime, cargo theft and other offenses. When used responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws and company policies, ALPR technology can be an effective addition to a broader retail security strategy.

For the loss prevention industry, the more productive conversation is how retailers can deploy advanced technologies responsibly while maintaining appropriate safeguards for customers. Clear policies, limited data access, appropriate retention practices and compliance with applicable laws can help strike that balance.

As retail crime continues to evolve, so too will the technologies used to combat it. ALPR systems are unlikely to be the last innovation to spark debate, but they represent another example of how retailers are investing in technologies that improve situational awareness, enhance investigative capabilities and help create safer stores for employees and customers alike.


Police Oppose Theft Diversion Bill
‘An attempt to diminish the effectiveness of law enforcement': LE leaders oppose Calif. diversion bill

If passed, AB 2108 would require courts statewide to dismiss action against certain theft offenders if they successfully complete diversion programs

District attorneys, law enforcement officials and community leaders at a Tuesday press conference voiced opposition to a bill that would implement rehabilitation programs for people who commit theft offenses.

Assembly Bill 2108 builds upon existing law that authorizes city and county officials to establish alternatives to jail time for those who commit theft. By making these programs mandatory parts of the state justice system, AB 2108 would ensure pathways to rehabilitation exist for individuals driven to crime by poverty.

“Assembly Bill 2108 … creates a statewide diversion option for low-level, nonviolent retail theft so offenders are held accountable without being pushed deeper into the justice system,” said Assemblymember Lashae Sharp-Collins, D- San Diego , the bill’s author, during a speech on the floor of the California Assembly May 27.

Speakers at Tuesday’s press conference argued that AB 2108 would dismantle the policies outlined in Proposition 36, which passed with 68.4% approval in November 2024. Prop. 36, or “The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act,” increased penalties for certain drug crimes and made thefts worth less than $950 punishable as felonies for individuals with two or more prior theft convictions.

If passed, AB 2108 would require the court to dismiss action against theft offenders if they successfully complete their diversion program. However, the bill mandates that judges discern whether diversion is appropriate on a case-by-case basis, Sharp-Collins said.

According to Sharp-Collins, the bill excludes theft involving violence or threatened violence, organized retail theft offenses and habitual repeat theft offenders. Rather, it aims to help those driven to theft by poverty find alternative pathways to reform.

“This bill is not an anti-Prop 36 bill, but instead it actually builds on the proposition’s promise of consequences and also treatment,” Sharp-Collins said. police1.com


Facial Recognition Boosts Public Safety
UK: Police deploy facial recognition technology to help identify criminals and safeguard vulnerable people
Nottinghamshire Police will be deploying facial recognition technology to identify criminals and safeguard vulnerable people. The technology will be built into a marked police van, which has a 360-degree dual camera system, enabling officers to cover a large area.

Officers will create 'a watchlist' of those suspected of serious crimes, which could include robbery, burglary and sexual offences. The technology will alert officers once it identifies one of the individuals on the list, with officers then engaging with that individual to assess whether further action is needed.

The technology has been used across other forces and is an additional tool to keep the city and county safe from criminality and to protect vulnerable people.

Facial recognition is intelligence-led, and the public will always be notified in advance of its deployment. The watchlist will be updated for every deployment.

Facial recognition is just another tool to fight crime. It will be used to reassure the public, identify people suspected of criminal activity or those who have outstanding warrants.

It is also used to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities, for example, locating missing people or those who need to be found urgently due to their vulnerabilities.

Officers will still be briefed daily about potential criminals who remain at large or might be involved in a particular crime. This will continue including the traditional methods of finding them. This technology will only complement this process.

It is not the computer saying ‘yes or no’ when an alert is issued. The officer on the ground will still need to carry out the relevant checks. This is still about officers making the decisions and not the technology. nottinghamshire.police.uk


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