The group revealed the scale of the issue in its annual report, which also showed a slump in its yearly profit after selling its petrol stations to Leeds-headquartered Asda.

Co-op said the level of retail crime incidents soared by 44 per cent in 2023 compared with 2022.

It recorded 336,270 incidents of shoplifting and anti-social behaviour at its food shops during the year, which is equivalent to 1,000 cases per day.

Matt Hood, Co-op's managing director of food retail, said repeat prolific offenders and organised criminal gangs are driving the spike in shop crime.

He said: "Despite the extensive measures and the £200m we have spent putting things in place to protect our colleagues, the reality is that every day four of our colleagues will be attacked and up to a further 116 will be seriously abused."

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The group has invested in body cameras for staff and CCTV, and has also been trialling security measures including secure kiosks, locked doors on high-value products, dummy packaging, and automated CCTV.

"The Retail Crime Action Plan that was announced last year by the Government with an intention to ensure police attendance at all incidents was welcomed by us," Mr Hood said.

"I'm hesitant when I say that because we have to now see it in action in our stores, so that the desperate calls from frontline colleagues to the police are responded to, and criminals do start to realise there are real consequences to their actions of shoplifting in our shops."

Co-op has been vocal in calling for more action in the UK as it said the vast majority of offenders get away, including urging police forces to take the crime more seriously and tackle prolific offenders.

Shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales rose to the highest level in 20 years in the year to September, data from the Office for National Statistics recently showed.

The number of offences jumped by nearly a third compared with the previous year, to more than 400,000 in total.

Separate analysis from the British Retail Consortium found that violence and abuse against shop workers spiked last year with about 1,300 incidents a day across the sector, ranging from verbal abuse to threats with weapons.

Meanwhile, the retail-to-funerals business revealed its pre-tax profit fell by £240m to £28m in 2023, compared with 2022.

Co-op said 2022's profit figure was skewed by a boost from the sale of its petrol forecourts business to Asda.

The two supermarket giants reached a £600m deal over the 132 petrol stations during the second half of the year.

Co-op also revealed that revenues dipped to £11.3bn in 2023, from £11.5bn the previous year, partly driven by slipping food sales.

Stripping out the impact of selling its petrol stations, food retail sales increased 4.3 per cent year on year, it said.

Co-op said its active members - who collectively own the business and get access to offers and discounted prices - grew to more than five million at the end of 2023.

Members accounted for 37 per cent of all purchases in its food shops, the highest level for four years.

Co-op shoplifting at record high as more than 100 workers face abuse every day