More shoplifting offences in East Berkshire are being classed as the much more serious offence of robbery while police attempt to crack down hard on retail crime.
Police data from the past year has revealed an uptick in the number of robberies recorded in East Berkshire, amid a sharp drop in shoplifting by almost 22 per cent – 2,340 offences for 2025/26 compared to 2,994 the year before.
This is partly because police have changed how they classify stealing from shops – with many more being considered the much more serious crime of business robbery rather than theft.
The key difference between them is that robbery entails the use or threat of force.
Clarification from the Home Office has confirmed that incidents involving ‘a low level of violence’ against a security guard or staff member ‘should be recorded as a robbery’.
This violence often occurs when an offender is attempting to flee.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police (TVP) said: “This clarification was important in distinguishing whether violence used solely to escape should be treated in the same way as violence, threatened or used, in order to steal.”
TVP says it is important to note that a change in crime classification ‘does not automatically translate into a corresponding change in charging decisions’, however.
In many cases, a charge of theft remains ‘the most appropriate outcome’.
Theft from shops has been a big issue in RBWM, Slough and surrounding areas.
Out of all of the stealing crimes, shoplifting remains the most common offence in East Berkshire, raking in 2,340 reports in the past year.
Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, caused a stir last summer when he said that staff and members of the public should act, not ‘just stand there and watch’.
Mr Barber stressed that retail crime is ‘a priority’ for TVP, while the force says it has focused ‘heavily’ on improving its response to acquisitive crime in East Berkshire (ie stealing offences).
The reclassification of shoplifting to the more serious offence of robbery has significant implications.
Shoplifting is sometimes dealt with by issuing a fine, a community order or a conditional discharge.
By contrast, a serious robbery – perhaps involving a knife or firearm – can result in years of imprisonment.
Partly because of the reclassification, records of robbery saw the most significant increases in East Berkshire out of all the stealing offences in the past year. It rose by nearly 16 per cent – from 369 in 2024/25 to 427 the next year (2025/26).
Changes in how police address shoplifting are regarded positively by those in the industry, including the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said ‘the job is far from done’ as numbers of retail crimes remain ‘almost four times pre-pandemic levels. ’
“Violence remains endemic,” she said. “No one should go to work fearing for their safety, and we must redouble our efforts to bring these numbers much further down once and for all.”
Retailers, the police and government must work together on better intelligence sharing, consistent enforcement and ‘targeted action against prolific offenders and organised gangs’, Ms Dickinson said.
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