Shoplifting figures in England and Wales are at their highest levels since records began, in the year to March 2003, and in the last year alone they have increased by 30 per cent – which is a 20-year high.
The figures which have been described by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as “notable” show that 443,995 offences were logged in the year to March 2024 compared to 342,428 in the previous 12 months.
The new Government has stated it wants to “take back the streets”, in the King’s Speech, by cracking down on shoplifting.
The new Labour Government has vowed to tackle low-level shoplifting and make assaulting a shop worker a specific criminal offence.
The move to create a separate offence follows a long-running campaign from business owners and Conservative backbencher Matt Vickers amid rising violence against retail workers.
John Lewis’ Director of Central Operations and Security, Lucy Brown, has been one of many who has spoken out against the “organised gangs” who are driving this increase in crime levels – read more about it here.
Meghan Elkin, from the ONS, said: “There has been no change across many crime types in the last year.
“However, we have seen falls in fraud while there have been increases in computer misuse and some forms of theft, such as shoplifting and theft from the person. Notably, shoplifting has continued to see increases and remains at its highest level in 20 years.
“In addition, robbery, offences involving knives or sharp instruments and offences involving firearms have also increased over the last year while remaining below pre-coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic levels.”
