Greggs removes display cabinets in shoplifting hotspots as retail crime surges

Greggs is removing display cabinets in its London stores that have been most severely hit by shoplifters. Branches in Croydon, Peckham, Whitechapel and Upton Park are testing the new format, with trials also under way in Birmingham and Wilford in Nottinghamshire. The move follows official figures showing shoplifting offences in England and Wales topped half a million last year - a year-on-year increase of about 20% - prompting concern across the High Street. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the wave of retail crime as "disgraceful" and said his government would introduce a new offence for assaulting retail workers. Ministers have also announced an extra 3,000 neighbourhood police officers and removed the informal threshold that limited prosecutions for thefts under £200. Retailers say they cannot wait for policy changes alone and are rolling out their own measures to protect staff and stock. Greggs has replaced open cabinets with secure counters in the shops where it says antisocial behaviour is most acute. The company is also piloting software that shares incident data directly with local police stations to speed up reporting and response. Some rival chains have taken different steps, with reports that Pret a Manger and Costa are hiring security staff to deter repeat offenders. Greggs said: "This is one of a number of initiatives we are trialling across a very small number of shops which are exposed to higher levels of antisocial behaviour." It added that the trials were targeted and temporary while the impact on theft and customer experience is assessed.