Shoplifting in UK hits 20-year high as police-recorded offences surge by 29%

A full of 469,788 offences were logged by forces successful the twelvemonth to June 2024, up 29% connected the 365,173 recorded successful the erstwhile 12 months

Shoplifting offences recorded by constabulary successful England and Wales person deed a 20-year high, with a full of 469,788 incidents logged successful the twelvemonth to June 2024.

This is simply a 29% summation from the 365,173 recorded successful the erstwhile 12 months, marking the highest fig since records began successful March 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS stated that "shoplifting remains astatine grounds levels", portion Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson highlighted the information arsenic grounds of the "scale of the situation we person inherited successful our ngo to marque streets safer."

Earlier this year, shoplifting levels had already reached a 20-year high, and the latest figures amusement a further increase. The information besides revealed a 20% emergence successful thefts from individuals, with 139,368 offences recorded successful the 12 months to June, up from 116,312 a twelvemonth earlier.

These statistic were released amid concerns from large retailers astir the rising outgo of theft and the Government's pledge to tackle low-level shoplifting and marque assaulting a store idiosyncratic a circumstantial transgression offence. This determination follows a long-standing run by concern owners and Conservative backbencher Matt Vickers, successful effect to expanding unit against retail workers.

Retailers are pinning their hopes connected the measures announced successful the King's Speech to Parliament earlier this year, pursuing Labour's predetermination victory, which purpose to streamline constabulary investigations and transgression prosecutions. Dame Sharon White, chairwoman of the John Lewis Partnership, which includes Waitrose, past twelvemonth branded shoplifting an "epidemic" and highlighted that not each incidents get constabulary attention.

Iceland's enforcement president Richard Walker has disclosed that contempt accrued information spending, "serious incidents person ne'er been higher". Association of Convenience Stores CEO James Lowman remarked earlier this twelvemonth that the emergence successful shoplifting is "no surprise", with authoritative figures lone showing "just a fraction of the levels of theft that are happening successful convenience stores and different retail outlets connected a regular basis".

He pointed retired that thieves run "without fearfulness of apprehension". Dame Diana stressed: "Too galore municipality centres person been decimated by grounds levels of shoplifting, and communities person been near shaken by rising levels of weapon crime, snatch theft and robbery. This cannot continue."

She added: "This Government volition reconstruct neighbourhood policing crossed the country, enactment thousands much dedicated officers retired connected our streets and scrap the £200 shoplifting threshold, bringing an extremity to the effectual impunity for thieves who bargain debased worth goods."

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) uncover a 6% summation successful recorded robberies, with 81,931 incidents reported successful the twelvemonth to June, up from 77,106 successful the erstwhile 12 months. However, this is inactive beneath pre-pandemic levels, which saw 90,199 offences successful the twelvemonth to March 2020.

Knife transgression offences recorded by constabulary forces successful England and Wales during 2023/24 reached 50,973, marking a 4% emergence from 49,187 successful 2022/23, but inactive falling abbreviated of pre-pandemic levels of 51,982 offences successful 2019/20. A "notable increase" was observed successful robberies involving a weapon oregon crisp instrument, with 21,759 incidents recorded successful 2023/24, an 11% summation from 19,607 successful the erstwhile 12 months.

Despite this, the fig remains little than the 22,727 recorded successful 2019/20. Offences involving possession of an nonfiction with a leaf oregon constituent dropped to 27,553, a 4% alteration from 28,582 successful the erstwhile 12 months.

The ONS suggests that this follows "substantial increases successful caller years, which whitethorn person been influenced by targeted constabulary enactment to tackle weapon crime". However, these figures bash not see offences recorded by Greater Manchester Police owed to information signaling issues.

The full fig of crimes recorded by constabulary successful the twelvemonth to June remained akin to the erstwhile 12 months, astatine 6.7 million, according to the ONS. Separate figures from the Home Office amusement that the proportionality of investigations into recorded crimes which were closed with nary fishy identified accrued to 40.2%, up from 39.5% successful the erstwhile year.

The percent of suspects being taken to tribunal stood astatine 6.7%. In rape cases, this was a specified 2.7%. These figures correspond flimsy increases from the erstwhile play (5.7% and 2.2% respectively), but they stay among the lowest levels ever recorded.