According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there has been no change across many crime types in the last year apart from increases in computer misuse, shoplifting and theft from the person. Notably, shoplifting offences rose by 30%, culminating in a total of 443,995 offences logged by forces in the year to March 2024 – its highest level in 20 years. Unfortunately, retailers say that these figures are likely to represent only a fraction of the true number of incidents.
The 2024 Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) Crime Report revealed 87% of employees in convenience stores, many of which are independently owned, faced verbal abuse, including around 76,000 violent incidents against retail staff.
Home Office data indicates that of the 417,582 police-recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales in 2023/24 that were assigned an outcome, 17% (71,741) were charged or summonsed while 58% (243,297) of the investigations were closed with no suspect identified. This compares with 16% and 55% respectively in 2022/23.
The new ONS data comes in the wake of major retailers, once again raising concerns about the rising cost of theft. As per the King’s Speech, the government brought forward amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, including adding legislation designed to “tackle retail crime” by creating a new specific offence of assaulting a shop worker and introducing “stronger measures to tackle low-level shoplifting”. This includes reversing the so-called ‘shoplifters’ charter’ introduced in 2014, under which the theft of goods under £200 is considered ‘low value’.