Co-op has begun secretly marking commonly stolen items, including alcohol and laundry detergents, with an invisible forensic spray to track them. This latest crackdown on shoplifting comes as a new retail crime law comes into force. The supermarket chain aims to roll out the technique nationwide after testing it in Manchester and London since last year.
How the Forensic Spray Works
The spray contains a unique forensic code linked to a specific store location where items were sold, including sweets. Police can then identify which Co-op store the stolen goods originated from when investigating physical shops or online stores suspected of reselling stolen items. This method has been used by police forces to track stolen bikes and valuables, as well as to protect domestic abuse victims.
Additional Security Measures
The spray is part of a broader strategy that has helped Co-op reduce crime in its stores by a fifth last year. Physical attacks on staff fell by almost a third year-on-year. Paul Gerrard, policy director at the Co-op, stated: “We have made it harder to steal things and now we are making it harder to sell.” The group has invested about £250 million in security measures, including body-worn cameras for staff, more security guards, reinforced kiosks for high-value products like spirits and tobacco, and special shelving that prevents large amounts of goods from being swept into a bag. Co-op is also testing AI to identify unusual activity via CCTV cameras and alert staff to intervene.
Partnerships with Police
Co-op has teamed up with police in 20 areas to share evidence such as CCTV images to catch repeat offenders. In the last year, these partnerships have resulted in 500 prolific offenders receiving custodial sentences, collectively amounting to more than 100 years. Gerrard noted: “This is not about an extra avocado going into an M&S bag. That is not the reason we are seeing crime at these levels, it is about people taking out an entire meat section for resale.” He added that police now respond to incidents 70% of the time, up from 20% in 2023.
New Retail Crime Law
Gerrard welcomed new measures under the crime and policing bill, which passed into law on Wednesday. The bill creates a new standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker and makes it easier to take action when items worth less than £200 are stolen, by repealing a measure that downgraded police response to so-called low-value shop theft. The police are collaborating with retailers through the Opal project to tackle retail crime.
Gerrard said: “We have now got businesses taking this seriously, police taking it seriously and government taking it seriously. Everyone is pointed in the right direction and we are starting to see things improve.” He added that reducing retail crime is a good bellwether for a growing economy and healthy high streets. However, problems remain, with about 100 Co-op staff likely to face abuse in one day and up to four being physically attacked.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that the tide could be turning on shoplifting, pointing to a 17% rise in people charged for what has become a hot political issue. He suggested that CCTV footage shared immediately with the police should be used more widely, adding that the hope of technology could make a difference. Official figures last year revealed annual shoplifting offences in England and Wales had passed half a million for the first time.
