Waitrose and John Lewis, which cumulatively have over 350 stores peppered around the U.K., are hoping to curb retail crime by enticing police staffers with free hot beverages. And in John Lewis stores, police officers can also buy hot food at discounts in addition to the free drinks.

The two companies, owned by John Lewis Partnership, don’t directly work with the police but hope to strengthen the relationship with them to crack down on theft.

“Offering these perks is a win-win; the police already work incredibly hard, so will have more options to take a break, while also building even better relationships with our frontline teams,” the parent company’s head of security Nicki Juniper said in a statement. 

“Even just having a police car parked outside can make people think twice about shoplifting from our branches, or becoming aggressive towards our Partners,” Juniper said, in reference to company employees.

To counter the shoplifting threat, the two companies are taking other measures beyond the offer of free beverages—including training their employees in theft reduction, increasing security signage in stores, and increasing the number of CCTV cameras (including body-worn cameras). Waitrose earlier tried “love-bombing” customers, which involved being more attentive to customers when shopping in an effort to curb theft. 

State of retail crime

Retail theft has been on the rise in the U.K. with £1 billion ($1.3 billion) worth of lost sales in the last year, estimates the British Retail Consortium, a trade body. Just last year, the number of thefts rose 26% in the 10 largest cities of Britain, reflecting the scale of the crisis. Thefts reached a 10-year high, according to estimates by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).

Despite the sharp rise, many retailers don’t believe the police are taking enough action, with repeat offenders going unpunished and thieves getting more sophisticated in their ways. Organized gang activity and addiction are also boosting the shoplifting trend. 

“Shop theft is rising because repeat offenders and organised criminals are targeting local shops to steal goods to resell,” ACS chief executive James Lowman said in a statement last month.

A key reason behind the rise in theft is the cost of living crisis in the U.K.; inflation was at a 40-plus-year high last October at 11.1%. The rate has since dropped to 6.8% in July, although food inflation still remains elevated at 15% compared to the same time last year. That’s leading people to resort to extreme measures to make ends meet, including cutting food purchases or shoplifting, according to retailers represented by ACS.

To be sure, the shoplifting specter has been looming large for a while, irrespective of the economic downturn. But in recent times, the value of goods as well as the severity of offenses, often involving verbal abuse, have jumped.

Ultimately, interventions from police and other law enforcement officials could be the only way to effect change beyond the steps that retailers take. John Lewis Partnership’s Juniper said that stores need greater support to tackle thefts beyond retailers’ investments of about £700 million ($892 million) annually towards solving the problem.

“Retail crime is a national problem and requires a national solution—people need to wake up and smell the coffee,” Juniper said.