By the end of March 2003, the total number of ‘Theft from shop’ offences alone recorded by the police in England & Wales totalled 309,619. This is a 1% increase on the 2002 figures.

The British Retail Consortium's Tenth Retail Crime Survey reported some 3,066 crime incidents per 100 retail outlets in 2001/2002. The estimated total cost of retail crime was down to £2,200m from £2,400m in 2001. 

A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce estimated that crime costs businesses in excess of £19 billion per year.