Retailers are reporting that theft is “spiralling out of control,” following the release of official figures indicating that shoplifting in England and Wales has reached its highest level since current records began over two decades ago.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 530,643 reported shoplifting offenses in the year leading up to March, marking a 20% increase compared to the previous year.
The ONS noted “sharp rises” in shop theft since the onset of the pandemic.
Retail groups have expressed concerns about the increase in organised crime, stating that gangs are “hitting store after store.”
The figures, derived from the Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending in March 2025, reveal that shoplifting offenses are at their highest point since current police recording practices began in the year ending March 2003.
“The ONS figures prove what retailers have long been telling us – that retail theft is spiralling out of control,” stated British Retailers Association director Tom Ironside.
He emphasised that such theft is “not a victimless crime,” adding that it incites violence and abuse towards staff and costs retailers and customers £2.2bn annually.
“The rise in organised crime is a significant concern, with gangs hitting store after store, even within a single day,” he added.
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) chief executive James Lowman indicated that the official statistics only represent a portion of the problem.
According to separate figures from the ACS crime report, convenience stores recorded over 6.2 million incidents of shoplifting in the past year, he noted.
“Retailers tell us that they won’t report crime if they have no faith in it being investigated,” he stated.
Mr. Lowman argued that the figures demonstrate the need for retail crime to be taken seriously “throughout the justice system.”
“Only then will we be able to start bringing the numbers down and stop widespread reoffending by criminals that are acting with confidence that they will not be apprehended,” he asserted.
Earlier this year, the government unveiled the Crime and Policing Bill, which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated would address an “epidemic of street theft”, including shoplifting.
The bill addresses the current £200 threshold for shoplifting, which results in thefts under that value being treated as summary-only offenses and not prioritised by the police.
Mr. Ironside stated that removing that threshold would “send a clear signal that all shoplifting is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Responding to the new ONS figures, Ms. Cooper said the government was working to rebuild local policing.
She indicated that over 500 town centers would be receiving extra patrols, and there would be 3,000 more neighbourhood officers and police community support officers by next spring.