Retail crime in the UK has never been more serious. It is happening in every high street, every convenience store, and every warehouse. It is costing lives, livelihoods, and billions of pounds every year. And passive responses are no longer enough.
At Smoke Screen, we have been helping retailers protect their businesses with active security fog technology for over 30 years. But technology is only part of the answer. Lasting change comes from collaboration — between retailers, police, security professionals, and local communities.
That is exactly what Fight Back Against Retail Crime (FBARC) is built on. And it is one of the most important initiatives in the UK security industry right now.
The Scale of the Problem
The numbers are stark — and they need to be heard.
According to the British Retail Consortium’s 2025 Retail Crime Survey, the total cost of retail crime now stands at £4.2 billion per year, of which £2.2 billion is a direct result of customer theft alone. There were over 20 million incidents of theft in the last survey year — that is 55,000 every single day.
Violence and abuse against retail workers has risen by more than 50% in a single year and a staggering 340% since 2020, with over 2,000 incidents recorded every day. Seventy of those incidents daily involve a weapon — more than double the previous year.
The police recorded 516,971 shop theft offences in the year ending December 2024 — a 20% year-on-year increase and the highest figure since records began.
And here is the critical point: those are only the crimes being reported.
As Detective Superintendent Lisa Maslen, lead of the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), told us on The Security Breakdown podcast:
“The British Retail Consortium and Association of Convenience Stores would say the instances are more like 20 million-plus a year. Getting an accurate picture of what is happening and reporting crime is really, really important.”
Why Smoke Screen? Security fog delays intruders for over 40 minutes, is non-toxic, food safe, residue-free, and works in any environment — giving retailers an active deterrent that does more than just record crime.
Why Reporting Retail Crime Still Matters
One of the most important takeaways from our conversation with Lisa Maslen is this: reporting crime, even when it feels pointless, directly affects policing resource allocation.
“Police and crime commissioners, chief constables — they allocate their resources dependent on the crime challenges. If it’s not reported and they don’t know about it, then you’re not going to see more police officers in that area.”
The barriers are real. Retailers are time-poor. Reporting systems are set up for individuals rather than businesses. And if a retailer has reported crimes before and seen no outcome, trust erodes.
But the answer is not to stop reporting — it is to make reporting easier, and for policing to get better at feeding back to the businesses they serve. That is a central focus of the NBCC’s current work, funded by a dedicated Home Office grant.
Who Is Hit Hardest?
According to Lisa, the convenience sector bears the heaviest burden — and for understandable structural reasons:
- Longer opening hours mean greater exposure, often with fewer staff
- Standalone locations in residential areas can become isolated, particularly out of hours
- High-value, fast-moving products — tobacco, alcohol, everyday essentials — make attractive targets
- High staff turnover means loss prevention knowledge is frequently lost
“If it’s not your own shop, you’re less invested in protecting your stock. A lot of retail workers are employed to be retail workers — not security or loss prevention experts.”
This insight matters for every business owner considering their security strategy. Your team are your greatest asset and your greatest vulnerability. Equipping them with the right knowledge — and the right technology — changes everything.
What Is Fight Back Against Retail Crime?
Fight Back Against Retail Crime (FBARC) is a series of community-based pop-up events that bring police, retailers, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs), Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and security vendors together at a local level.
These are not conferences. They are not sales pitches. They are practical, collaborative sessions designed to create real connections between the people who need to be working together to reduce crime.
📍 Fight Back — Reading ( First Fight Back Event Attended by Smoke Screen Team)
Matt Gilmartin, Managing Director of Smoke Screen, took to the floor at Reading — presenting on the role of active security technology and how security fog integrates with modern alarm systems to stop theft in progress.
Coming to Nottingham: The FBARC event at 3–7 Middle Pavement, Nottingham ran two sessions on 19th March — supported by Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, and the BSIA, with Smoke Screen as a headline partner.
Scott Ballard and Jack Cunnington from Smoke Screen are the driving force behind every FBARC event — from logistics and marketing to presenting on the day. Because for us, this is not just a sponsorship opportunity — it is core to what we believe.
Scott Ballard at FBARC: Scott and Jack host every Fight Back event, connecting local police, retailers and security partners — and making sure the conversation happens at a ground level, not just in boardrooms.
As the team reflected on the podcast:
“For us with Fight Back, we are a security company that sells a product. But really, it’s about building the bond between the police and the retailers. That is the main goal — and that is where we’ve had success already.”
Lisa Maslen agrees:
“Fight Back is a great example of getting people together — people who have probably been operating in the same locality for years but don’t know each other. So much of it is about relationships.”
FBARC on Tour — Events Across the UK
Since its launch, Fight Back Against Retail Crime has taken place in towns and cities across the UK. Here is a look at some of the events we have been part of.
📍 Fight Back — Salisbury
Salisbury brought together retailers, the local BCRP, and police for one of the most engaged panel discussions in the series. The Salisbury BCRP opened the room to everyone operating in the locality — many of whom had never sat in the same room before.
📍 Fight Back — Milton Keynes
Thames Valley Police were front and centre at Milton Keynes — a powerful example of police and retail working side by side, not in opposition. Security vendors and retailers shared practical intelligence and tools in a relaxed but focused environment.
📍 Fight Back — High Wycombe
High Wycombe saw a strong turnout of both independent retailers and security vendors — including Lodge Service — reinforcing the message that protecting a community from crime takes a whole ecosystem of people, not just one company.
📍 Fight Back — Stratford, London
The Stratford event brought FBARC to one of London’s most active retail corridors. With high footfall and complex security challenges unique to urban environments, the conversations here were especially sharp — and the networking equally valuable.
📍 Fight Back — Derby
📍 Fight Back — Bristol
Bristol was particularly memorable for Smoke Screen’s live fog demonstration — attendees stepped directly into the fog to experience first-hand how rapidly visibility drops when a Sentinel unit activates. For many in the room, it was the moment the technology clicked from concept to reality.
Bristol’s conference session drew one of the largest audiences in the FBARC series, with Sophie Jordan representing the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) and Smoke Screen’s own team delivering presentations to a packed room.
📍 Fight Back — Nottingham
Nottingham captured the spirit of FBARC in a single image: a police officer and a local retailer, side by side, sharing information on a phone. That is exactly what these events are designed to create — real connections, in the room, between the people who can actually make a difference.
🏆 Award Recognition: Community Heroes
The impact of Fight Back Against Retail Crime has not gone unnoticed by the wider industry.
Fight Back Against Retail Crime was awarded the Community Heroes Award at the 2025 Pride of Retail Risk Awards — one of the most prestigious recognitions in the UK retail security sector.
The award recognised FBARC as an outstanding community initiative for its work in bringing police, retailers, BCRPs and security providers together across the UK — building the relationships that make a genuine, measurable difference to retail crime.
For the entire FBARC team — including everyone at Smoke Screen — this recognition is a reflection of what can be achieved when the security industry puts community before competition.
What Happens at a Fight Back Event?
At each FBARC event, attendees can expect:
- Short, practical presentations from local police and crime leads on what is happening in their specific area
- Table-top exhibitions from security vendors — from CCTV and DNA sprays to remote monitoring and security fog
- Direct networking between retailers, BCRPs, police officers and security vendors who may have been operating in the same streets for years without ever meeting
- Honest conversations about what policing can and cannot realistically deliver — and what retailers can do to help themselves
The events are free to attend and open to retailers of all sizes, from independent convenience stores to national chains.
The Power of Collaboration
One of the most powerful insights from our podcast conversation with Lisa Maslen is that retail is already ahead of most other industries when it comes to cross-competitor collaboration on crime.
“Retailers are so far ahead of other industries. Yes, there’s competition and areas they don’t talk about. But when it comes to solving crime — offenders don’t care whether it’s a Tesco or Sainsbury’s or Morrisons. When you’ve got each brand only looking at their own picture, they’re not looking at what’s happening in a locality.”
Sharing information across competitors, with police, and with BCRPs is not a weakness — it is the single most effective tool available for reducing localised retail crime. FBARC events do not just talk about collaboration. They create it in real time.
What Retailers Can Do Right Now
If you are a business owner who feels overwhelmed by rising retail crime, here is Lisa Maslen’s practical advice:
- Step 1 — Find your local policing team
Visit police.uk , enter your postcode and you will be directed to your local neighbourhood policing team and their contact details. Do this before you need them, not after. - “It’s so valuable to have that relationship before you really need them. If you’ve already got something to start from, when there is a problem, you already have that groundwork laid.”
- Step 2 — Explore your local BCRP and BID
Your neighbourhood policing team can connect you with Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and Business Improvement Districts in your area — invaluable sources of local intelligence, CCTV schemes, and community networks. - Step 3 — Use the NBCC’s free resources
The National Business Crime Centre website offers free toolkits, training videos, de-escalation guides, and safeguarding resources for businesses of all sizes — at no cost. - Step 4 — Report every incident
Every reported crime contributes to the data that directs police resources in your area. The NBCC is actively working to make bulk reporting easier for retailers. - Step 5 — Invest in active security technology
CCTV records what has already happened.
Security fog stops theft as it is happening. Dense, harmless fog fills the space within seconds of an alarm trigger — making it impossible to see, impossible to steal, and making the decision to leave the only rational option.
What Needs to Change at a National Level
Lisa was direct about the systemic changes she would most like to see:
- Making the secondhand market harder to exploit — online marketplaces, car boot sales and second-hand platforms need greater accountability
- Better enforcement of handling stolen goods legislation, with greater officer awareness of powers already available for repeat offenders
- More accurate crime recording, so policing can allocate resources with precision
- Greater trust between retailers and police, built through regular, honest feedback to business victims when crimes are investigated
The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 represents government recognition that retail crime requires dedicated legislative attention. But legislation without collaboration will not be enough.
🎙️ Watch the Full Conversation
We covered all of this in our recent episode of The Security Breakdown Podcast, featuring Detective Superintendent Lisa Maslen, lead of the National Business Crime Centre — one of the most important conversations we have had on the show.
▶️ Watch on YouTube 🎧Listen on Spotify
Protecting Your Retail Business with Smoke Screen
At Smoke Screen, retail security is not an add-on — it is at the core of what we have done for over 30 years. Our security fog systems are active, not passive. They do not record crime. They prevent it.
- Trusted by major UK retailers including Boots and Tesco
- EN50131:8 certified — the European standard for security fog
- Compatible with all major alarm systems, including Ajax Ready integration
- Available across the full Sentinel range — from the SC20 for small spaces to the S150 for large warehouses
👉 Explore retail security fog solutions →
👉 See how security fog works →
👉 Find out about the next Fight Back Against Retail Crime event →
👉 Get in touch with the Smoke Screen team →
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Fight Back Against Retail Crime (FBARC)?
FBARC is a community-driven, award-winning initiative supported by Smoke Screen that brings together retailers, police, BCRPs, BIDs and security vendors at free local pop-up events across the UK to tackle retail crime through collaboration, education and practical solutions. - How much does retail crime cost UK businesses?
According to the BRC’s 2025 Retail Crime Survey, retail crime costs UK businesses £4.2 billion per year, including £2.2 billion in direct theft losses and £1.8 billion spent on prevention measures. - Has FBARC won any industry awards?
Yes. Fight Back Against Retail Crime was awarded the Community Heroes Award at the 2025 Pride of Retail Risk Awards, recognising its outstanding contribution to community-level collaboration in tackling retail crime across the UK. - How do I find my local neighbourhood policing team?
Visit police.uk and enter your postcode. You will be directed to your local neighbourhood policing team and their direct contact details. - Does security fog really stop retail theft?
Yes. Security fog fills your space within seconds of an alarm trigger, removing visibility and making theft practically impossible. It is an active deterrent — not a passive recording system. It delays intruders for over 40 minutes, is non-toxic, food safe, and leaves no residue.
Learn more about how it works →
What free resources are available for retailers on retail crime?
The National Business Crime Centre offers free toolkits, training videos, crime prevention guides and information sharing resources at nbcc.police.uk — suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Smoke Screen is an active supporter of the Fight Back Against Retail Crime initiative. Our team attends and facilitates FBARC events across the UK. If you would like to know more about bringing an FBARC event to your area, visit fbarc.co.uk .
