Shoplifting in England and Wales has reached its highest level since records began, with 530,643 offences reported in the year to March 2025, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This marks the largest number of shoplifting cases recorded since current police practices started in 2003.

Retailers and industry groups have raised concerns about the growing scale and impact of theft. Tom Ironside, director at the British Retailers Association, stated, “The ONS figures prove what retailers have long been telling us – that retail theft is spiralling out of control.” He emphasised that theft is “not a victimless crime”, highlighting the violence and abuse faced by staff and the financial costs to both retailers and customers, which reached £2.2 billion last year.

The rise in shoplifting has been partly attributed to organised crime, with reports of gangs targeting multiple stores in quick succession. James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, noted that official statistics may understate the true extent of the problem, as many retailers do not report incidents due to a lack of faith in investigations. “Retailers tell us that they won't report crime if they have no faith in it being investigated,” he said, calling for retail crime to be taken seriously throughout the justice system.

The government has responded by introducing the Crime and Policing Bill, which aims to tackle retail crime by increasing police patrols and removing the £200 threshold that currently limits the prioritisation of lower-value thefts. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government is working to rebuild local policing, with plans for more officers and additional patrols in over 500 town centres.

The ONS data also show that shoplifting now equates to more than 10,000 thefts per week, or nearly three thefts every minute during shop opening hours.

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