Marks & Spencer staff are worried about coming into work, according to Adam Hawksbee, the company's head of external affairs. In the past week, an M&S staff member was taken to hospital after having ammonia thrown in their face. Thinus Keeve, M&S retail director, stated that customer-facing staff are being subjected to violence and abuse every day. According to evrimagaci.org, Adam Hawksbee described a series of recent incidents, including gangs forcing open locked cabinets, two men brazenly emptying shelves of steak, a large group ransacking a store and assaulting a security guard, a colleague being headbutted, and another hospitalized from the ammonia attack.
M&S executives have sharply criticized the government and police response to the crisis. Thinus Keeve criticized the Government and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, stating 'Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a Mayor that prioritises effective policing we are powerless.' According to major media reports, Keeve has written to Mayor Sadiq Khan, and M&S chief executive Stuart Machin has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, calling for more action on retail crime. According to GB News, an M&S executive described demands for Labour ministers and mayors to give police 'more powers' after chaos in Clapham. Keeve stated retail crime is 'becoming more brazen, more organised and more aggressive' and called for 'a stronger, faster and more consistent police response, using tools that already exist to target repeat offenders and crime hotspots.'
Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a Mayor that prioritises effective policing we are powerless.
Retail crime trends show increasing brazenness and organization across the country. According to Adam Hawksbee, head of external affairs at M&S, retail crime has always been a challenge but feels worse in recent weeks and months. Thinus Keeve noted that while retail crime is worse in London, it is happening across the country and becoming routine with no consequences. According to the Office for National Statistics, shoplifting offences in England and Wales increased 5% to 519,381 in the year to September 2025, but remained slightly below record levels from the previous year. A survey by the Institute of Customer Service found 43% of frontline staff experienced hostility or abuse in the past six months, up from 36% the previous year. The same survey found 22% of workers faced threats of physical violence, 40% viewed violence as too frequent to report, and 35% considered leaving their jobs due to aggression.
The situation reached a dramatic peak in Clapham, south London, where social media-organized chaos led to significant police response. Teenagers arranged to meet in Clapham as part of 'link-ups' using social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat, before surging into shops. According to BBC and Sky News, about 100 Metropolitan Police officers were dispatched to Clapham High Street on April 2, 2026, in response to reports of large groups engaging in anti-social behaviour. The crowd was organized via TikTok and Snapchat and surged into retail outlets—including M&S—where chaos quickly unfolded. About 100 police officers responded to antisocial behavior in Clapham, with five people assaulted including four police officers. Six teenage girls were arrested after two separate outbreaks of violence that authorities said were 'fuelled by online trends,' and the Met Police warned that more arrests were likely as investigations continued.
Retail crime has always been a challenge but feels worse in recent weeks and months.
Beyond M&S, the broader retail sector reports similar impacts, particularly affecting small businesses. According to BBC News - England, shopkeepers in south London described being targeted by thieves daily and that police often do not respond when called. Research by the Federation of Small Businesses found 59% of high street small firms in London say increasing crime or anti-social behavior poses a big risk to the high street. According to BBC News - England, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, founder of The Black Farmer, described stock being stolen from his stores every day and shoplifting getting worse. According to BBC News - England, Bilal, who works at African Queen Fabrics, described police doing little when theft is reported, citing lack of prison space as a reason. According to BBC News - England, an anonymous shopkeeper described no longer calling police because they do not come, instead just kicking out thieves when caught.
Police acknowledge increased enforcement efforts but highlight challenges with retailer cooperation. The Metropolitan Police reported a 78% increase in 'positive outcomes' for shoplifting cases from February 2024 to February 2025, rising from 7,161 to 12,761. Chief Inspector Rav Pathania said tackling shoplifting is a priority, with increased use of technology like facial recognition helping solve double the number of cases. Chief Inspector Rav Pathania denied a 'blame game' with retailers but claimed in as many as four in five shoplifting cases, vital CCTV footage is not supplied to police.
Becoming more brazen, more organised and more aggressive.
Contradictory experiences exist, with some retailers reporting decreasing shoplifting and better police response. According to BBC News - England, Noureddine, who works at Artisan Stories, noticed a decrease in shoplifting this year and said police respond well when called.
Industry reactions include calls for security guard arming and legislative changes. According to The Independent - Main, Lord Walker of Broxton, executive chairman of Iceland, described security guards should carry pepper spray and truncheons to tackle retail crime, citing armed Spanish guards as an example. According to major media reports, the Crime and Policing Bill, once passed, will make assault of a retail worker an offence. According to the Institute of Customer Service, Jo Causon, the group's chief executive, said 'The shocking scenes in and around M&S this week are yet another reminder that abuse, hostility, and criminal behaviour towards frontline workers is on the rise.'
Security guards should carry pepper spray and truncheons to tackle retail crime, citing armed Spanish guards as an example.
Similar problems are occurring outside London, with police implementing dispersal orders in response. According to Greater Manchester Police, the force implemented a 48-hour dispersal order in Rochdale town center due to groups of young people harassing staff and causing criminal damage.
The implications extend to staff retention and high street viability. The Institute of Customer Service survey found 35% of workers considered leaving their jobs due to aggression, and 26% of those surveyed had taken sick leave as a direct result of such encounters. Research by the Federation of Small Businesses found 59% of high street small firms in London say increasing crime or anti-social behavior poses a big risk to the high street.
Shopkeepers in south London say they are being targeted by thieves daily and that police often do not respond when called.
Several unknowns remain about the government's specific response measures and the effectiveness of new legislation. The exact number of arrests made in connection with the Clapham incident beyond the six teenage girls has not been disclosed. The specific measures being considered by the government or Mayor of London in response to calls for action on retail crime remain unclear. The overall impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on retail worker safety once passed cannot yet be determined.
Additional uncertainties surround the role of social media in crime organization and long-term police strategy effectiveness. The extent to which social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat are being used to organize retail crime across the UK requires further investigation. The long-term effectiveness of police strategies like facial recognition in reducing retail crime rates remains to be seen as these measures are implemented more widely.
Stock is stolen from his stores every day and shoplifting is getting worse.
Police do little when theft is reported, citing lack of prison space as a reason.
Noticed a decrease in shoplifting this year and said police respond well when called.
They no longer call police because they do not come, and they just kick out thieves when caught.
Denied a 'blame game' with retailers but claimed in as many as four in five shoplifting cases, vital CCTV footage is not supplied to police.
The company demands Labour ministers and mayors give police 'more powers' after chaos in Clapham.
Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a mayor that prioritises effective policing, we are powerless.
A stronger, faster and more consistent police response, using tools that already exist to target repeat offenders and crime hotspots.
The company’s stores have been repeatedly targeted by organized criminal gangs, leaving staff worried about coming into work.
In the past week alone we have had gangs forcing open locked cabinets and stripping shelves, two men brazenly emptying the shelves of steak and walking out, a large group of young people ransacking a store before assaulting a security guard, a colleague headbutted trying to defuse a situation and another hospitalised after having ammonia thrown in their face.
The shocking scenes in and around M&S this week are yet another reminder that abuse, hostility, and criminal behaviour towards frontline workers is on the rise.