Mindless charity shop attack highlights growing violent crime problem in retail

“The attack – the physical connection with me – was the more shocking thing.”

Tone Jarvis-Mack is recounting the moment he was verbally and physically assaulted while working in his charity shop.

The original footage is harrowing to watch. But it’s just one instance of a retail crime epidemic that Tone describes as “absolutely out of control” – no longer limited to major high street chains and supermarkets.

That charity shops have become targets for theft and antisocial behaviour begins to highlight the scale of a problem that’s costing UK retailers £4.2bn pounds per year.*

Everyday play, miracle child

Tone and PJ Jarvis-Mack are the co-founders of The Fertility Foundation: a charity that provides support and IVF funding to couples and individuals who need it in the UK. In short, Tone’s charity shops raise money that is given to people who want to have a child but have been unable to conceive naturally.

When we meet Tone, it’s the kind of early spring morning where the sun streaks from the skies in magnificent shards; dappled light dancing off the season’s first foliage. In a park twelve miles north of central London, a tranquillity hangs in the air that belies the busy skyline piercing the horizon.

Sonny is a happy and playful toddler, giggling as he gently kicks a football that’s almost half his height. It’s one of those moments that means everything and nothing all at once – made all the more poignant with the knowledge that Sonny wouldn’t be here without Tone’s charity shop.

As Sonny’s father puts it: “Tone and PJ do amazing work – and that’s why we asked them if they’d like to be godparents.”

An additional layer of security – for staff and customers

Sonny is just one of many little lives that have been brought into the world thanks to funding from The Fertility Foundation. And fingers crossed there will be many more thanks to the Facewatch technology that’s been installed in The Fertility Foundation’s shops – providing an extra layer of protection and security to both staff and customers.

Watch the video above to discover how Facewatch is empowering independent retailers to take back control against crime.

*Source: The BRC Crime Survey 2025.