Last week saw an enormous rush of police activity in Salford – when, after violent riots erupted in the city, Greater Manchester Police ran their force-wide monthly clampdown in the district.
Riot police were deployed when 60 masked youths torched vehicles and attacked the police with bricks in the district last Wednesday – and Operation Avro on Thursday saw 47 arrests, 12 warrants, and 25 vehicles seized.
Yet despite the prevalence of major police operations in the city, day-to-day crime continues to pose a challenge, with shoplifting offences having seen a significant and troubling rise.
Crime in Salford
Total recorded crime rates in Salford declined by 8% between 2023 and 2024, according to ONS data.
This decrease was four times greater than the average across England and Wales – which showed only a 2% decline.
Yet beneath this positive headline, a breakdown of this data showed that percentage increases in robbery, sexual assault, drug, and, shoplifting offences, in Salford were above the national average.
The category of crime which saw the greatest increase over the year in Salford was recorded shoplifting offences.
Salford was not alone in seeing a huge increase in this figure – recorded shoplifting offences across England and Wales skyrocketed to over half a million in 2024.
This was a 20% increase from December 2023 – marking the highest number of recorded offences since police recording practices began in 2003.
The increase in Salford, though, was 38% – almost twice the national average.
This was the highest percentage increase across the Greater Manchester boroughs – which averaged a 20% increase, in line with national statistics.
The harsh reality for Salford’s retail workers
Andrew: The Supermarket Front Line
“We average about five events a shift, so every hour and a half”
Andrew*, a 23-year-old student, has worked at a Salford branch of a well-known supermarket chain for the past 18 months.
He said: “Shoplifting is to be expected, and it has definitely gotten worse since I started.
“If I’m working without security we average about five events a shift, so every hour and a half.
“We can’t put steak out on the shelves now.
“We used to have them out in security boxes until about six months ago, but they just took the boxes.
“The boxes became too expensive to replace, so now if someone wants a higher value item they have to know to ask us for it.”
Steak isn’t the only item kept in the back – according to Andrew most coffees, and many household items, have also been removed from the shelves.
Andrew said: “You can never be too confident – if any of these items are out there’s only one.
“You have to be cautious.
“Even shopping baskets are kept behind the till now.
“We used to have incidents of people coming in, filling a basket, and running off with it.
“Last year we lost all our baskets every day for a week – after that they were removed from the entrance.”
He explained it was a relatively small group of around 20 men, who all seemed to be in their late 40s, and they seemed to be stealing items they would then resell.
“Often crisps and chocolate, cheese and meat is what they take.
“It’s not necessity, it’s stuff they can resell.
“We think they are taking orders from a nearby pub and reselling the chocolate there.”
He added: “The incidents are typically logged to the police via the store’s reporting software.
“Sometimes the police take interest, then nothing happens.
“If a big event takes place near by and police presence is heightened they will come.
“There is always some amount of response, a lot of phone calls, they build cases, but they certainly don’t come out to every call.”
Rebecca Elliot: When charity becomes a target
“You’re taking it off young kids that are reliant on the money coming in to help build their futures”
Charity retail manager Rebecca Elliot, 48, from Oldham, reported similar trends at the YMCA shop she manages in Ordsall.
“It has gotten significantly worse in the last two or three years,” she said.
“Even in the last few weeks here shoplifting has increased.
“It really angers me.
“Two weeks ago a man came in to steal and he came back in about two days later actually wearing some of the stuff he nicked.
“Last week we had a pair of Radley sunglasses taken from a cabinet.
“And recently we had to get a display box which can be locked onto the till after we had some silver rings stolen.”
Rebecca said she has seen a change in her ten years in charity retail – where people used to steal for necessity, this isn’t the case anymore.
She said: “It could be cost of living, but also it could just be an easy way to make 20, 30 quid.
“Usually it’s men aged 30 to 40, but it can range.
“On Sunday I had a shelf full of PS and Xbox games taken by a middle-aged couple.
“We find quite a lot of empty hangers as well, so it’s hard to pinpoint specifically how often it is happening.”
Rebecca said police presence in the area was low.
“We don’t call police out, we report incidents on a city-wide service we have, which goes to the police and helps to build a case.
“If you have a persistent offender the chances are a community banning order can be put in place – but you have to show the evidence to back it up to get to that stage.”
Rebecca said whilst all shoplifting is awful, this kind of shoplifting is more personal.
She added: “It is inexcusable, this isn’t like stealing from just anywhere.
“You’re taking off young kids that are reliant on the money coming in to help build there futures.”
Ali: The threat to independent businesses
“It would’ve been a waste of time to call the police”
Ali, manager of Yours Phone Shop outside Salford Shopping Centre, said: “Shoplifting is very bad in this area.
“It has gotten worse recently, all of our stock is locked in cabinets and if someone wants to look at a phone now they have to view it from my side of the desk.
“We had too many incidents of people pretending to view phones just to run off with them.
“If I report anything to the police that doesn’t mean they come.
“In most cases where I have reported something to the police they take my details and then I’ll get a message from GMP saying no further action required.
“I don’t call the police for everything.
“A group of three or four young people became aggressive last week after I told them I could not resell their faulty phone.
“After that they came back and threw eggs at my window.
“It would’ve been a waste of time to call the police.”
What do the police think?
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Shoplifting is a priority across Greater Manchester.
“And while shoplifting is up, so are arrests and charges.”
Superintendent Cara Charlesworth, force lead for retail crime, said: “Every year we strive to improve our service to our business community across Greater Manchester.
“I am really pleased with the progress that has been made over the last couple of years and the partnership work that is going from strength to strength.
“This year alone, we have secured hundreds of arrests and charges, and at times last year, we were locking up 100 suspects every single week.
“This momentum has continued into 2025 with solved rates for retail crime continuing to rise.
“We completely understand the frustrations that businesses have when it comes to shoplifters, and I want to reassure them that we stand firmly alongside them.
“Whether you work in a large multinational supermarket or a local corner shop; we are there for you.
“I would urge any stores with any ongoing issues to get in touch with their local neighbourhood team, as they will be best-placed to help with your queries.”
*Name has been changed.
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