Shoplifting in England and Wales has hit the highest level in twenty years, alongside yearly rises in robberies, thefts and offences involving knives.
Reporting on the figure, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) said that increases in shoplifting and robbery offences were “notable.”
Police recorded robbery offences increased by 13 percent from 71,983 offences in the year ending December 2022 to 81,094 offences.
Elsewhere, increases were recorded in thefts from a person—an 18 percent yearly rise, as well as a 7 percent surge in offences involving knives or sharp instruments.
According to the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), the ONS data represents a fraction of the true picture of shop theft.
Responding to the latest crime analytics, the ACS chief executive James Lowman said the surge is not “surprising.”
“The vast majority of incidents that take place end up not being reported because of the time taken to report the crime and the lack of follow-up from the police. Thieves are stealing on a regular basis without fear of apprehension, so it’s essential that every police force in the country takes theft seriously, not least because challenging thieves is one of the biggest triggers for abuse of shopworkers,” Mr. Lowman said.
Policing Minister Chris Philp has focused on the reduced rate of homicide, which was down 7 percent since 2010.
“Very good progress on reducing crime here,” he said.
Policing Priorities
In a turnaround on retail crime policy, the government announced earlier this month that assaulting a shop worker will become a standalone criminal offence as part of the Criminal Justice Bill.The decision comes on the back of longstanding campaigning by retailers and MPs, amid the epidemic of retail crime in the UK. A huge jump in the levels of shop theft and violence against shopkeepers was recorded last year.
“This 37 percent increase in shoplifting is further evidence that we are facing an epidemic of retail crime, which is hugely concerning,” said the general secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), Paddy Lillis.
He added that the scale of assaults has been made worse by police cuts and a failure to legislate to protect retail staff. Mr. Lillis urged the government not to fall short of its vows in curbing retail crime, and match the commitments made by Labour.
The opposition wants to put 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the streets to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.
While Home Secretary James Cleverly believes that the Conservative government is “making the UK safer,” his Labour counterpart Yvette Cooper said that Downing Street has “failed to act.” Labour will end the £200 threshold rule, Ms. Cooper added.
In England and Wales, the £200 threshold was introduced in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. It means that shoplifters taking under £200 worth of goods face a maximum sentence of six months and can plead guilty by post.
In May, Britons will take to the polls to elect police and crime commissioners (PCCs) in 39 police areas across England and Wales. Retailers have called on PCCs to clarify how their local forces will prioritise response to theft.
Under the government’s Retail Crime Action Plan the police are meant to prioritise attending scenes of shoplifting involving violence against a shop worker. This applies to cases where guards have detained an offender or where attendance is needed to secure evidence.
