Shoplifting offences in England and Wales have reached the highest level ever recorded, with over half a million cases logged by police last year. Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show a total of 516,971 offences in 2024, a 20% increase on the 429,873 recorded in 2023. This is the highest since current police recording practices began in 2003.
Retailers, however, warn that the official data 'severely underestimates' the true scale of the problem. Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium, said the figures equate to fewer than two incidents per shop per year, adding: 'If you ask most shopkeepers they’ll tell you they’re lucky if a day goes by without a shoplifting incident.' A survey by the BRC indicates there are over 20 million incidents annually, many unreported due to a lack of faith in police action.
The rise in shoplifting has been partly attributed to squeezed household finances following high inflation, but the BRC has also blamed organised gangs stealing to order. The trade body calculates that shop theft costs retailers more than £2.2 billion a year, forcing them to spend £1.8 million on anti-crime measures. Retailers are calling for more police resources to tackle the issue.
Beyond financial losses, retail workers face violence and abuse. The union Usdaw reported that two-thirds of the 9,500 retail workers surveyed said incidents of violence, threats and verbal abuse were triggered by theft or armed robbery. Paddy Lillis, Usdaw's general secretary, said: 'Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers.'
The ONS figures also showed fraud increasing by a third in 2024 to 4.1 million incidents, including 2.4 million cases of bank and credit account fraud. Consumer group Which? urged the government to fully implement the Online Safety Act to combat online scam adverts, with director Rocio Concha calling for 'tough regulation of online advertising more widely'.
