Shoplifting has hit a record high with 50 offences recorded by police every hour in England and Wales – an increase of 30 per cent in one year – official figures show.
The number of shoplifting offences rose to 443,995 in the year to March 2024, an increase of more than 100,000 on the 342,428 recorded in the previous 12 months.
The figure is the highest since current records began in the year to March 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
However, the proportion of the crimes resulting in a shoplifter being charged has fallen to a low of just 16.2 per cent, down from 29.8 per cent in 2016 when the Home Office started publishing such data.
Retailers say that shoplifting is now so widespread that it is adding at least 6p to every store transaction by customers due to the cost of the £1.8 billion stolen each year and the extra £700 million being spent by retailers on security measures.
Labour has pledged to introduce new laws to reduce shoplifting by requiring police to investigate even if the goods are worth under £200.
A Crime Bill will reverse a so-called “shoplifters’ charter” introduced in 2014, under which theft of goods under £200 is considered “low value”. The Bill will also introduce a new standalone offence of assaulting a shop worker. It is likely to carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail though no final decision has been taken.
Under an agreement last October between the government and police, officers attend shoplifting incidents if there is violence against a store worker, a suspected thief is detained or officers are needed to secure evidence. However, police say it is “not realistic” for officers to respond to every shoplifting incident.
Robbery also rose by 8 per cent to 81,019 offences recorded by police in the year to March 2024, while theft was up by 1 per cent to 2,686,000.
Knife crime also increased by 4 per cent to 50,510 offences in the year to March 2024, close to the record high of 51,982 in 2019/20 before the Covid pandemic.
There was a “notable increase” in the number of robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument, with 21,226 recorded by forces in 2023/24, up 13 per cent from 18,787 in the previous 12 months, although this is below the 22,727 in 2019/20. Rape with a knife was at a record high with 737 offences
Knife crime hit record highs in eight police forces including the Metropolitan police where it was up from the previous record of 14,680 in 2020 to 14,961 in the year to March 2024. West Midlands also saw a high of 5,266 - up from 5,192 last year.
Offences involving possession of an article with a blade or point fell slightly to 27,470, down 3 per cent from 28,391 in the previous 12 months.
This follows “substantial increases in recent years, which may have been influenced by targeted police action to tackle knife crime”, the ONS said.
New laws, set out in the King’s Speech, will close loopholes that allow the sale of ninja swords and other lethal blades, the type of weapon which was used to kill 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin in London earlier this year.
The Government said it would introduce “strict sanctions” on senior executives of online companies who fail to operate within the law by continuing to allow the sale of banned weapons.
They are likely to be modelled on penalties in the Online Safety Act, where bosses whose firms persistently fail to protect children face up to two years in jail. Tech firms can also be fined up to 10 per cent of their turnover. Final decisions on the sanctions are expected after the Government’s sentencing review.
Labour is also considering re-introducing anti-knife measures in the Tories’ Criminal Justice Bill including giving police powers to seize and destroy knives found on private property, increased maximum penalties for sales of dangerous weapons to children and a new offence of possessing a knife with intent to cause harm.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said: “These figures show the disgraceful dereliction of the last Tory government on law and order – they deserted our town centres and high streets, leaving local people to face soaring levels of street crime.
“Shoplifting has shot up to 20-year highs, hitting our local businesses and hurting communities in our towns and cities, yet the number of neighbourhood police on our streets has plummeted, with devastating consequences for public confidence.
“Knife crime, which tears families apart, has risen yet again, and we’ve seen a steep rise in stalking and harassment offences, which disproportionately impact women and girls.
“We can’t carry on like this. This Labour Government will put neighbourhood police back on the beat in our town centres, with stronger laws on knife crime, shoplifting and assaults on shop workers to keep our communities safe.”
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