Figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, published today, show that shoplifting offences have increased by 37% (to 430,104 offences) compared with the year ending December 2022 (315,040 offences), and is the highest figure since current police recording practices began for the year ending March 2003.

The data follows the last release of figures from the Crime Survey for England in Wales in October 2023, which showed a 25% increase in theft on the previous year.

Data from ACS’ Voice of Local Shops Survey which tracks levels of theft in the convenience sector have shown that theft has been increasing every quarter since mid-2021, reaching new record highs toward the end of 2023 and then breaking that record in the first quarter of 2024. The ACS Crime Report estimates that convenience retailers have recorded over 5.6million incidents of theft over the last year.

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “It’s sadly not surprising that official figures on theft have risen significantly, but this still represents a fraction of the true picture of shop theft. 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.“

Ahead of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in May, ACS has been calling on all PCCs to outline how their local forces are responding to theft, and to make tackling shop theft a priority in their police and crime plans.

More details on the figures from the Office for National Statistics are available here