The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) crime figures show a 2% decrease in shoplifting, to 519,516 offences, in the year ending June 2026, compared with 530,336 offences the previous year. The figures follow a period of increases in shoplifting.
Recent increases in police recorded shoplifting likely reflect both growth in offences and improved reporting resulting from closer engagement between police and retailers. Reporting rates for shoplifting are known to be very low, and police are actively encouraging the reporting of all incidents and the submission of supporting evidence, such as CCTV, to strengthen intelligence, identify offenders, and link related offences.
Industry Response to the Figures
Lucy Whing, crime policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “Retailers will welcome today’s figures, but progress on tackling shop theft is still too slow.
“Theft is not a victimless crime: it fuels violence against shop workers, and adds costs that ultimately hit shoppers’ pockets. With 1,600 incidents of violence or abuse against retail workers every day, the human toll remains unacceptable.
“The Crime and Policing Act granted police new powers to intervene and prosecute offenders, including a long-overdue offence of assaulting a retail worker. Yet six months after the new law passed, these protections have still not come into force.
“Retail workers face abuse every day – their safety must not be the price of government inaction.
“A nationwide week of action against retail crime begins on 9 November, bringing together police, retailers and government in a united effort to tackle offending.
“Ministers should seize the moment to announce the commencement date for these new protections, giving retail workers the reassurance they need and sending a clear message that violence and theft on our streets will not be tolerated.”
Retail Trust and HALOS Comment
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of retail industry charity the Retail Trust, said: “The small reduction in retail crime is another sign that combined efforts by the government, police and retailers are starting to make a difference, but there is still much more to do before people working on the frontline of retail feel genuinely safer and happier at work.
“Today’s figures don’t yet the reflect the reality of many of the shop workers we speak to, who tell us their confidence, wellbeing and sense of safety are being damaged by daily incidents of theft, violence and abuse.
“This is at the same time that our latest Retail People Index shows four in 10 staff are at already risk of working while unwell and nearly half are considering leaving their jobs.
“The stronger protections for shop staff being introduced as part of the Crime and Policing Act are also welcome steps towards dealing with persistent offenders and serious crime. But these measures alone won’t bring an end to the everyday hostility, intimidation and verbal abuse that too many shop workers face, and which often goes unreported.
“The improvements we’re seeing in recorded shop theft now need to be backed by consistent enforcement, better reporting processes and more practical training and wellbeing support to help staff respond to and recover from incidents.
“Every one of us also needs to play our part in challenging the attitudes that have allowed abuse towards shop workers to become so commonplace by creating more positive, respectful interactions between customers and retail staff.
“Threats, intimidation and hostility should never be accepted as simply ‘part of the job’, and we hope these figures signal that the tide may finally be beginning to turn after years of unacceptably high levels of crime and abuse so that shop staff can feel genuinely safer, more respected and properly supported.”
Matt Dawes, head of enterprise at bodycam specialist HALOS, commented: “A 2% fall in shoplifting is positive, but the headline crime figures only tell part of the story.
“The stats don’t necessarily reflect how safe retail workers feel on the shop floor or the aggression and intimidation they may face but never formally report.
“Lower retail crime figures need to translate into better experiences for employees too. Staff need to know that when something does happen, there’s a clear process for reporting it and that incidents will be taken seriously.
“Retailers need to focus on training, clear procedures and the right technology to help staff feel protected without placing the burden of intervention on them.
“Falling shoplifting figures are encouraging, but the real measure of progress is whether people on the shop floor feel safe and supported at work.”
