Shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales have yet again reached its highest level, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In 2024, police recorded 516,971 shoplifting incidents, its highest level since current police recording began in the year to March 2003.

This represented a 20% increase on 2023’s recorded shoplifting numbers with the ONS adding that there have been “sharp rises” in shoplifting since the pandemic.

Many retailers have turned to technology to prevent and tackle rising retail crime. Last month, Asda launched facial recognition trials and Poundland saw an 11% decrease in incidents of violence against staff, along with a reduction in shoplifting and theft since rolling out body worn cameras for colleagues.

Trigo chief executive of computer vision technology company Daniel Gabay said the ONS figures are “yet another wake-up call for the retail industry”.

“Shoplifting is rising rapidly, and the problem is going to get worse,” he continued.

“We need to think smart to combat this, but the good news is that retailers can look forward to new, tech-driven solutions that will help cut shrink. Right now, most cameras are focused on the checkouts—but almost all the theft happens in the aisles. Luckily, AI is turning into a key weapon in the fight against retail crime.”

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