Retail crime is “spiralling out of control”, hitting a new high last year despite billions spent on protection.

Losses from customer theft reached a record £2.2bn, while retail violence and abuse increased over 50 per cent to more than 2,000 incidents a day, according to the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Annual Crime Survey.

More than three times as many violent incidents occurred last year than in 2020, with incidents including “racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons,” the BRC said.

There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.

“Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive,” Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said.

“We owe it to the three million hardworking people working in retail to bring the epidemic of crime to heel. No one should go to work in fear.”

Paddy Lillis, General Secretary of Usdaw, called retail crime an “epidemic” and said retailers are “going to increasing lengths and expense to make [stores] secure and safe”.

The amount spent on crime prevention reached a record high last year. Retailers spent £1.8bn on a range of measures from CCTV to security personnel and body worn cameras.Spending increased by 50 per cent, from £1.2bn the previous year.

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of retail industry charity the Retail Trust, said: “People are contacting our helpline in their thousands to report horrifying incidents of abuse and violence and many say that they are now at breaking point.”

“Stronger measures are clearly needed to prevent this criminal behaviour from happening in the first place.”