A justice scheme commissioned by Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) shows the heavy personal price, which workers pay for retail crime.
Restorative Justice (RJ) lets retail workers reveal the true impact of crime by switching the focus away from lost stock and falling profits to more personal feelings of loss.
RJ, which is delivered locally by charity Safer Communities through Restorative Cleveland, gives victims the chance to communicate with offenders and explain the personal cost of crime. That helps shop workers come to terms with their feelings and aids recovery.
In one case, RJ led to a Middlesbrough store manager saying a persistent shoplifter was welcome to return to his shop any time – as long as he was a paying customer!
It gave the manager a chance to tell the 36-year-old offender how the staff really felt about his regular shoplifting visits to their store.
Shuttle mediation allowed the offender to apologise for the distress, which he had caused. This ultimately made shop staff feel safer at work.
Welcome back
The store manager said: “Knowing he has support and is taking it, we accept his apology. As a result of his reaction and apology, the man would be welcomed back in the store – but as a paying customer.
“This is a first for us. We’ve had lots of incidents, so one less person trying to steal from us and who is trying to change is good for our staff and customers.”
Since 1 April 2026, the PCC-commissioned Victim Care and Advice Service (VCAS) – led by the same organisation as Restorative Cleveland – has received 84 referrals for shop workers. All of those referrals were for incidents of theft with violence.
Police figures also show that shoplifting is a growing crime in Cleveland. In the year ending March 2026, recorded offences grew by 13.7 per cent.
Feeling vulnerable
Feeling vulnerable and under attack are just two of the feelings, which shop workers have suffer when thieves visit their work place.
Retail crime also leaves many front line workers feeling that their work is not valued and, as a result, lose a lot of job satisfaction.
Not a victimless crime
Cleveland PCC Matt Storey said: “It’s important that offenders recognise that shop robbery and theft are not victimless crimes.
“Both have a huge impact on the people, who work in the retail sector. That could be an economic cost or it could be the emotional and mental toll of feeling like the security of the business is under threat from members of your own community.
“RJ is a useful tool to bring the impact of retail crime into sharp focus. It demonstrates to offenders the harm which it causes to members of their own community on a very personal level.”
Dave Mead, VCAS Service Manager, said: “When people talk about shoplifting, they often focus on the cost to the business. What can get lost is the impact on the people behind the counter.
“These are staff who work hard, take pride in their shop and want to feel safe doing their job. When someone keeps coming in to steal, it wears people down. It can make them feel anxious, angry and vulnerable in their own workplace.
“Restorative justice gives victims the chance to say that directly. In this case, it helped the offender see that this was not a victimless crime. His actions had affected real people, and hearing that gave him the opportunity to take responsibility and try to do things differently.”
All victims of crime are entitled to information about RJ. The scheme is voluntary and only takes place when victims feel ready. Restorative Cleveland deliver RJ with adult offenders only. Local Authority Youth Offending Teams deliver RJ with young offenders.
Safer Communities leads a multi-agency team to deliver Restorative Cleveland on behalf of Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner.
To find out more, go to: https://restorativecleveland.co.uk/