Retail theft went down and the national retailers federation had to admit 5% not 50% of theft was from criminal gangs. This whole panic was concocted to close underperforming and unionized stores and the media bought it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/business/organized-shoplifting-retail-crime-theft-retraction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ek0.cMux.iabRLNkE-vqu&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Retail Group Retracts Startling Claim About ‘Organized’ Shoplifting
The National Retail Federation had said that nearly half of the industry’s $94.5 billion in missing merchandise in 2021 was the result of organized theft. It was likely closer to 5 percent, experts say.
The New York TimesI’ve been pointing out for years that the actual stats from the police even haven’t matched the panic in the media. In America (and much of the world), we’re at a near all-time low for violent crime and most other crime, so any tiny increase looks huge, as it did during the pandemic. We’re now reverting to the (new) norm.