
Shoplifting soars in England and Wales by staggering amount
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Shoplifting has surged to another record high with nearly half a million offences recorded last year, new figures reveal – as retailers warned crime in shops is “spiralling out of control”. No one should go to work in fear.” More broadly, the ONS said its latest crime survey indicated a 12 per cent rise in incidents of headline crime – including theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud and violence – over the past year, when there were an estimated 9.5 million incidents. open image in gallery Knife crime and robbery offences have increased, according to the Office for National Statistics Dr Billy Gazard of the ONS said: “Although crime has increased over the past year, it is still below pre-pandemic levels. “Shoplifting offences continue to rise, reaching almost half a million in the year ending September 2024, the highest figure since current police recording practices began.” According to the ONS, incidents of knife-enabled crime recorded by the police rose by 4 per cent to hit 55,008 offences in the year to September 2024.
History of this topic

Britain's most brazen shoplifters: Experts say high streets have turned into Wild West with staff helpless to stop tide of thieves targeting their stores
Daily Mail
I'm a professional shoplifter and I can make £5,000 a day - if shops go out of business that's not my fault, they should have better security
Daily Mail
Britain has turned from a nation of shopkeepers into a nation of shoplifters – and we’re all paying a shocking price
The Independent
Mapped: UK phone theft hotspots reveal where you’re most likely to be targeted
The Independent
Moment two brazen shoplifters casually grabbed items off shelf in Holland & Barrett before stuffing them into holdalls and walking out as helpless shop staff watched on
Daily Mail
When did we become a nation of shoplifters?
The Independent
Inside Surrey's shoplifting capital: From the mother-daughter duos working in tandem to well-heeled women stashing goods up their jumpers, how traders in Haslemere have been forced to install panic bu
Daily Mail
Police record almost half a million shoplifting offences in England and Wales
The Independent
Poundland forced to up security after millions lost to shoplifters
The Independent
Organised crime gangs lurking on motorways send cargo thefts soaring by half to £102m - with 'homegrown' groups blamed for majority of raids on lorry drivers to seize luxury brands
Daily Mail
Watch moment relaxed M&S shoplifter casually stuffs his bag with goods before boldly shoving past outraged staff to make his escape
Daily Mail
Shoplifting in my store is so bad I've had to make 50 citizen's arrests myself - it's the only way I can get the police to turn up!
Daily Mail
Shoplifting epidemic adds 10p ‘crime tax’ to every transaction as minister vows end to ‘shameful neglect’ of retail crime
The Independent
Moment brazen Tesco shoplifting gang cram groceries into rucksacks in front of shoppers - as thieves who stole £200,000 of goods from 100 stores are jailed
Daily Mail
Half of Britons say stealing food if you are starving is fine as police reveal they dealt with 469,788 shoplifting offences last year
Daily Mail
The UK's shoplifting hotspots: Interactive map reveals areas with highest number of store thefts - as inquiry finds number of reported crimes are a just a 'drop in the ocean'
Daily Mail
Stop trivialising ‘devastating’ high street thefts, police urged
The Telegraph
Britain's shoplifting shame: Stores are suffering two thefts every minute as retail theft hits highest level since records began
Daily Mail
Shoplifting at an all-time high with 1,300 offences recorded every day, new figures show
The Independent
New California laws aim to reduce smash-and-grab robberies, car thefts and shoplifting
The Independent
New California laws aim to reduce smash-and-grab robberies, car thefts and shoplifting
Associated Press
Shoplifting soars to 20-year high in England and Wales as figures show 30 per cent rise in last year alone
Daily Mail
Inside Britain’s ‘out of control’ shoplifting crisis as even pound shops are targeted
The Independent
Britain's police 'aren't interested' in tackling shoplifting anymore, Marks & Spencer's boss claims - as store theft offences surge to the highest level ever
Daily Mail
M&S boss says police no longer interested in tackling shoplifting
The Independent
Keir Starmer pledges to toughen laws on shoplifting and scrap the £200 theft threshold
Daily Mail
Knife crime in London: What the latest figures show
The Independent
Met has worst rate for solving shoplifting cases
The Telegraph
Mapped: Worst areas for knife crime in the UK as incidents rise across country
The Independent
Shoplifting offences soar to highest level in 20 years, new figures show
The Independent
Shoplifters are getting away with it more than ever - here is how
The Independent
Shoplifting offences rise to highest level since records began: Store thefts jump by more than a THIRD compared to 2022 - with 430,104 offences recorded in last 12 months, figures show
Daily Mail
Thieves ransack a Boots store just round the corner from a police station while staff watch on - as shoplifting wave sweeps lawless London
Daily Mail
Labour blames ‘shoplifter’s charter’ for rising store thefts
The Independent
RISHI SUNAK: Three ways we will put an end to the blight of shoplifting on our high streets
Daily Mail
Co-op says organised shoplifting gangs are targeting shops as as incidents hit record high
The Independent
How a shoplifting crime wave is forcing the retreat of self-checkout
The Telegraph
Police urged to crack down on violence against retail workers amid record shoplifting offences
The Independent
Shoplifting soars to highest level in 20 years
The Independent
Lawless Britain? How police have failed to solve over HALF of all shoplifting cases in the past five years, with more than 200k going unsolved in 2023 - around 560 a DAY
Daily Mail
UK gripped by epidemic of another kind as shoplifting at record high while police turn blind eye
Firstpost
Is YOUR area a shoplifter's paradise? Shocking interactive map reveals where thieves are getting away scot-free… with just a 5% conviction rate in worst region
Daily Mail
Met Police attend less than half of shoplifting incidents in the past year, figures reveal, as offending blows £1 billion black hole in UK high streets
Daily Mail
Don't beg or borrow, just steal: European gangs exploiting trafficked women and children in UK shoplifting epidemic
Firstpost
The Shoplifting Epidemic Touted By Fox News Is Likely Overblown, Data Shows
Huff Post
Do you live in one of the UK's 'porch pirate' hotspots? Interactive map shows where thieves hit the most to steal deliveries left on doorsteps
Daily Mail
Shoplifting surged a staggering 64% in New York City in the past four years - with Los Angeles also seeing a 61% spike
Daily Mail
Fuel thefts from Britain’s petrol stations soar in mirror of shoplifting epidemic
The Telegraph
America's shoplifting hotspots: The top 11 cities with the highest rate of retail theft revealed - and San Francisco isn't number one!
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