ACS has responded to the publication of the latest crime figures from the Office for National Statistics, showing a record number of shoplifting offences in the year to September 2024.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales, published today (30th January 2025), has shown that in the 12 months to September 2024, there were 492,914 recorded shoplifting offences compared to 402,220 in the previous year. This is an increase of 23%.
The number of offences continues the trend of ONS crime outputs showing the highest ever recorded figures since current recording practices began in 2003.
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 half of 2024. The ACS Crime Report estimates that convenience retailers have recorded over 5.6million incidents of theft over the last year.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “These figures continue to be shocking, but still represent a fraction of what is happening to retailers on a daily basis. Retailers and their colleagues are being attacked for challenging thieves that are then lost in the system because of a lack of police resources.
"Everyone involved in tackling shop theft needs to play their part to reverse this trend: retailers reporting crime every time, the police investigating every offence and identifying prolific repeat offenders, and the courts system applying effective penalties that aim to break the cycle of re-offending. We look forward to the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill which has the opportunity to reset attitudes to shop theft and retail crime."
Later this year, it is expected that the Crime and Policing Bill will be introduced, making it a separate offence to assault a shopworker. ACS has been calling for a complete reset on the perception of retail crime and especially shop theft, with an ambition to send a clear message that this is a crime that will be investigated by local forces.
More details on the Crime Survey for England and Wales are available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2024
The 2025 ACS Crime Report will be launched at the Safe and Responsible Retailing Conference on 12th March. To book your place at the event, click here.
