Co-op marking commonly stolen items with forensic spray to track reselling

Wave of measures has helped cut offending in stores last year by a fifth as new retail crime law comes into force

Co-op is secretly marking commonly stolen items including alcohol and laundry detergents with invisible “forensic spray” to track them, in the latest crackdown on shoplifting as a new law on retail crime kicks in.

The supermarket aims to use the technique across the country having tested it in Manchester and London since last year.