New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have seen an increase in the number of shop theft incidents reported to the police in England and Wales over the last year.

Released today (19th October) the figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) show a 25% increase of incidents of shop theft to a total of 365,164 offences in the year ending June 2023.

Figures from the ACS Crime Report show that there were over 1.1m incidents of theft recorded over the last year, with two thirds of those committing theft being repeat offenders. The most commonly stolen items as reported by retailers are meat, alcohol and confectionery – typically high value items that can then be sold on by those with a drug or alcohol addiction, or part of wider organised crime groups.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Convenience retailers are facing unprecedented levels of theft against their businesses at the hands of prolific offenders who are targeting stores repeatedly without fear of reproach. These incidents take a huge toll on retailers and their colleagues, so it’s crucial that every incident reported to the police gets investigated.

“The official figures reported to the police, while rising, still represent a fraction of what’s actually happening on the ground. The vast majority of theft still goes unreported, as retailers are frustrated at the lack of response and follow up activity from their local police forces.”

The full ONS data release is available here.