Recorded incidents of shoplifting rise in England and Wales

During this period, shoplifting offences increased 13% to reach 529,994 recorded incidents. 

The ONS said there has been a sharp rise in shoplifting since the pandemic, but that the rate of increase seems to be slowing.

Policing minister Sarah Jones referred to the levels of shop theft and street crime as “utterly unacceptable”.

In July this year, Retail Week attended an event where former policing minister Diana Johnson and other figures across the police, government and private sector unveiled a three-year strategy called ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together’.

The seven-point plan involves combining police and retail industry knowledge, targeting high-harm places, and developing consistent standards for managing retail crime.

Last week, the Crime and Policing Bill passed a second reading at the House of Lords, news that was much welcomed by the BRC.

BRC crime policy adviser Lucy Whing said: “We are glad to be one step closer to the implementation of the Crime and Policing Bill.

“As the government takes action to address retail crime, retailers hope this bill will play a vital role in protecting retail workers from harm and tackling the surge in theft.

“The bill will remove the £200 threshold for ‘low-level’ theft, which will send a clear signal that all shoplifting is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It will also introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker, which will increase sentencing and improve the visibility of violence against retail workers so that police can allocate the necessary resources to tackle this challenge.”