Crimestoppers
Fearless - our youth service
Speaking up about neighbourhood crime
Neighbourhood crime doesn’t just take possessions, it takes peace of mind.
The feeling that your home is safe, your street is familiar, and your local high street is somewhere you can walk without constantly looking over your shoulder.
In the year ending December 2025, 509,566 shoplifting offences, 84,666 robberies, 224,518 burglaries, and 129,068 thefts from persons were recorded in England and Wales, the kinds of crimes that shape how safe people feel day to day because they happen in the places we live, shop, travel and work.
Retailers describe a daily reality that’s often under‑reported and under‑recognised: across one year, the retail sector recorded around 590,000 incidents of violence and abuse against staff, and convenience stores estimate around 950,000 incidents of verbal abuse and 67,000 incidents of violence.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent people - neighbours, shopworkers, families, living with the fallout.
Seen a robbery or a phone snatch and recognise who’s doing it?
Tell our independent charity 100% anonymously.
No police contact. No courts. No comeback.
If a crime is happening now, always call 999.
Why these figures matters to us all.
When shoplifting plagues a high-street, it doesn’t just hit big brands, it hits the corner shop, the local chemist, the high‑street café. It drives up costs, forces businesses to spend more on security, and chips away at the confidence that keeps communities alive.
When robberies take place in a local area, it’s not just theft, but theft with fear, the kind that can change someone’s behaviour overnight. People take different routes. They stop using their phone in public. They avoid the high street after dark.
When burglaries affect a community, it signals something equally powerful: a crime that reaches into the one place people should feel safest. Even after the door is fixed and the insurance claim is made, the sense of safety can take far longer to return.
The most alarming part is what sits behind the numbers: retailers report violence and abuse at a scale that works out at around 1,600 incidents a day. These incidents affect the people who make up our communities, they impact real lives,
These are not “just crime statistics”. They represent a picture of how neighbourhood crime is reshaping daily life, at home, on the street, and on the high street.
Neighbourhood crime is community harm
Neighbourhood crime spreads harm in quiet ways.
A burglary can make someone feel like their home has been invaded, and that fear can linger long after the physical damage is repaired.
A robbery can turn a familiar route into a place someone avoids, and the impact doesn’t stop with one person. Families worry, friends adapt plans, and whole communities feel the ripple effects.
A phone snatch can feel like “only a device” until it triggers banking risks, identity stress, and a loss of confidence in public space. When it happens repeatedly in the same area, it changes how people move through their local high street.
And for many retail workers, the harm is constant: abuse becomes something they brace for as part of the working day, especially when they refuse age‑restricted sales, challenge theft, or deal with anti‑social behaviour.
If you have information about someone committing crimes, you can tell us 100% anonymously. Our guarantee of anonymity empowers you to speak up, safe in the knowledge no one will ever know you did.
Call free on 0800 555 111 or fill in our online form:
Give information anonymously
What you might notice (and why it matters)
You don’t need proof to speak up. When information comes in from different people, even if each person only saw a small part, it can help authorities connect incidents, identify repeat offenders, and target the people causing the most harm.
You might notice patterns like:
- People selling brand‑new phones or high‑value goods unusually cheaply, online or in person.
- The same people repeatedly hanging around cafés, transport stops, shop entrances, or busy crossings.
- Shops being hit again and again, with staff facing intimidation when they challenge theft.
- A particular street or small area becoming a recurring hotspot for snatches, robberies or break‑ins.
Tell us what you know
When you contact our charity, the most useful details often include:
- Where it happened (street, shop, bus stop, as precise as possible)
- When it happens (times, days, repeat patterns)
- Who is involved (descriptions, nicknames, recognisable clothing)
- Vehicles (make/colour/partial registration)
- How stolen goods are being moved or sold (platforms, accounts, meeting places)
From shoplifting and burglary to phone snatching and robbery, these crimes leave deep scars. Victims are often left traumatised, communities feel less safe, and the economic toll is felt by families, businesses, and public services alike.
But the damage doesn’t stop there. these types of crime often fuel wider criminal networks, trapping people in cycles of exploitation, violence, and harm that ripple through society.
If you know something about someone involved in these crimes, you can speak up. We guarantee 100% anonymity. No police, no courts, no comeback, just your voice helping to protect communities.
Call free on 0800 555 111 or fill in our online form:
Give information anonymously
Theft, robbery, and burglary all involve unlawfully taking someone else's belongings – however, each crime corresponds to a distinct type of criminal behaviour:
Means taking someone's property, but does not involve the use of force.
It's easy to forget to keep an eye on your handbag, wallet, mobile phone or purse when out and about - and thieves are always on the look-out for new opportunities.
For more information on signs to spot and how to protect your belongings from thieves, click here for our dedicated Keeping Safe page.
A type of theft, involving stealing from a person using force or making them think force will be used.
When someone uses threatening language and behaviour to take something from someone else by force.
When someone illegally enters a property in order to steal from it.
Burglars often monitor properties they target; in these cases, their crime is pre-planned and likely to be based on perceived value of goods inside the home. They will illegally enter the home when there is least activity indoors, and take valuables and personal belongings.
For more information on signs to spot and how to stay vigilant, click here for our dedicated Keeping Safe burglary page.
If you are witnessing a robbery, or any other crime, in progress, then immediately call the police on 999.
If you have information on someone committing these crimes, then tell us 100% anonymously by calling 0800 555 111, or click here to fill in our online form.
Have you seen something crime-related on your street? Perhaps it’s unsettling you, maybe you know what you’ve seen is crime-related - or it could just seem suspicious. Burglaries and theft don’t just cost you money, they can be very upsetting too.
You might have witnessed a robbery in a public space, on a high street, in a bar, or on public transport. If you have information that could help identify the criminal(s), you can help solve crimes and prevent further crimes by speaking up about what you know.
Contact our charity and remain anonymous, online here on our website, or on the phone by calling free on 0800 55 111, 24/7, 365 days a year.
We’ve kept our promise of anonymity since we were founded in 1988.
Together, we can keep communities safe.
If you are or have been a victim of any of these crimes:
- In an emergency, always dial 999.
- If it’s not an emergency, you can contact the police on 101.
- Victim Support can support you if you have been a victim of crime, to help you cope with the effects of crime or a traumatic event. They also champion victims’ rights, ensuring their needs are met in the criminal justice system. You can contact them online, or on 08 08 16 89 111.
