Shoplifting rise during England's first World Cup match - and fears of 26% spike in quarter-finals

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A report by SAI, an AI-produced retail security service, showed the crime type was up against the daily average on Wednesday, the day Thomas Tuchel's side won 4-2.

The 6% figure was an average for the day across the whole retail sector, but when broken down, it shows that supermarkets had a 7% rise, according to a report.

Research was compiled from across 1,000 locations, and 20,000 CCTV cameras were studied.

SAI analysed the Three Lions' previous nine international fixtures to find that there could be worse to come further in the tournament, especially if England lose.

Chris Bell, head of marketing & Insight at SAI, shared a worrying projection that shoplifting could spike by 26% against average if England reach the quarter-finals.

“With rising footfall, fan excitement reaching fever pitch and emotions running high, those pressures can quickly spill over into store environments, driving increases in theft, safety incidents and wider operational disruption," he said in a press release.

“As the World Cup progresses, sales opportunities build, but so too do the pressures on the store estate."

SAI data, based on previous games and tournaments, also showed that theft incidents rose by 13.4% when England draws or loses a big game - compared to the 6 or 7% rise seen on a match-winning day.

Mr Bell put the rise down to fans getting carried away in the moment, or taking their frustrations of a loss out by committing a crime they may not always commit.

He added: “Retailers need to be able to anticipate and respond to those pressures, maintaining visibility across their stores and reacting quickly as conditions change, to ensure that the World Cup doesn’t become an operational own goal.”