Boston Officials Say More Work Is Needed to Address Shoplifting

Shoplifting in Boston's retail districts remains a significant problem, and business leaders and police are telling the City Council that more work needs to be done.

City officials and business leaders testified at a City Council hearing held during the week of Oct. 20 that shoplifting is a significant problem in key retail districts such as Back Bay, the South End, Downtown Crossing, and South Bay Center, according to a Boston.com report.

“When theft becomes routine and unchecked, neighborhoods suffer,” said Paul McLaughlin, the Boston Police Department superintendent and chief of the Bureau of Investigative Services, at the hearing. “Local retailers shut their doors, jobs disappear, and residents begin to feel less secure in the places that they live and shop.”

The Boston Police Department launched the “Safe Shopping Initiative” in March 2024, collaborating with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, to share data, identify theft trends, and implement prevention strategies.

At the hearing, McLaughlin noted that shoplifting reports in Boston have increased significantly. Theft rose 15% in July compared to the previous year, and retail theft increased 55% compared to the same period in 2019, according to the Council for Criminal Justice.

Despite the rise in shoplifting reports, Michael Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Alliance, said, “It is a dramatically better business climate downtown than it was at this time about a year ago.” 

Nichols stated that Downtown Crossing is experiencing its lowest level of vacancies following the pandemic, from about 110 storefronts three years ago to closer to 65 today.

Residents in the South End have become particularly concerned about ongoing safety issues, such as substance use and homelessness. These safety issues have contributed to store closures at CVS and Walgreens and are linked to increased crime and violence.

Boston.com noted that Randi Lanthrop, a local community leader who operates a developer consulting practice, testified at the hearing about the problem.

“People were coming during the day and saying, ‘Give me your purse. Give me your wallet, or I'm going to stick you with a needle, and it has fentanyl,” Lanthrop commented. 

South End resident Brian McCarter stated that residents have nowhere to shop because so many stores have closed.