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Fri, 03 Apr 2026

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 M&S boss calls for more action on crime and abuse of staff

Thinus Keeve's comments come days after an M&S store was targeted during disorder in south London.

* Marks & Spencer's retail director Thinus Keeve has called for a crackdown on retail crime, citing a string of incidents involving shoplifting and violence at its stores.
* Police should be given the resources to tackle the issue, which is "getting worse, not better", according to Keeve.
* Retail staff face "abuse and violence in their workplace every day" due to the growing problem of retail crime.
* Organised criminal gangs have been targeting M&S stores, leaving staff "worried about coming into work".
* The police responded to reports of anti-social behaviour involving a group of "several hundred young people" last weekend in Clapham, south London.
* A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: "Shoplifting is not a victimless crime and the mayor fully supports the Met Police's data-driven and targeted approach to tackling prolific offenders."
* Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones called the incidents "disgraceful" and urged police to use all the tools at their disposal to protect workers and punish those responsible.
* About 100 officers were called to Clapham High Street on Tuesday where young people were reported to be attempting to access shops and a restaurant.
* Six teenage girls were arrested after two separate incidents of anti-social behaviour "fuelled by online trends", according to the Met Police.
* Five people were assaulted, including four police officers.