Shoplifting offenses in England, Wales hit record high, data shows

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Shoplifting offenses in England and Wales have reached a record high, with nearly half a million incidents recorded in the year to September 2024, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

A total of 492,914 shoplifting offenses were logged by police over the 12-month period, marking a 23% increase from the 402,220 cases recorded in the previous year.

This is the highest annual total since records began in the year to March 2023.

The increase in shoplifting contributed to an overall rise in theft-related crimes. Police recorded 1.8 million theft offenses, a 2% increase year-on-year, with theft from a person rising by 22% to 146,109 cases.

Of the 473,342 shoplifting cases that have so far been assigned an outcome, only 19% (88,165) resulted in a charge or summons, an improvement from 16% the previous year.

However, 57% (269,237) of cases were closed with no suspect identified, remaining unchanged from the previous 12 months.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that shoplifting is "spiralling out of control," with retailers reporting over 2,000 incidents daily.

Many shop workers are facing assault, threats with weapons, and racial or sexual abuse. The financial strain of rising theft has led to repeated calls for stronger action from law enforcement and the government.

Alongside rising theft, knife crime also increased, with 55,008 offenses recorded in the year to September 2024, up 4% from 52,969 in the previous 12 months.

While knife-enabled homicides decreased by 14% to 228, the number of offenses involving possession of a blade or pointed weapon remained high at 27,945—slightly lower than last year but significantly above pre-pandemic levels.

- Government response

The government has pledged to tackle the issue, with measures set out in last year's King’s Speech following Labour’s election victory.

One of the key proposals is to make assaulting a shop worker a specific criminal offense, a move that has been supported by business owners and Conservative MP Matt Vickers.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson acknowledged that shoplifting figures remain "unacceptably high", describing the impact on town centers and high streets as severe.

She criticized the long-standing perception of shoplifting as a "low-level" crime and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to increasing police numbers and providing officers with greater powers to crack down on offenders.