The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level since records began more than 20 years ago.
A total of 430,104 offences were logged by forces last year – the equivalent of 1,178 cases a day.
The number is up more than a third (37 per cent) on the 315,040 recorded in the 12 months to December 2022.
It is also the highest figure since current records began, in the year to March 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Thursday’s data comes after major retailers raised concerns about the rising cost of theft.
Theft from the person up 18pc
The figures also show the number of offences involving theft from the person stood at 125,563 in 2023, up 18 per cent from 106,606 in 2022 and the highest level since 2004 (137,154).
Nick Stripe, from the ONS, said: “In the past 12 months, police recorded crime shows notable increases in robbery, theft from the person and shoplifting.
“The latter has risen by more than 100,000 offences, while the police have been dealing with the highest levels of theft from the person offences recorded in two decades.”
The latest crime figures also show the number of police-recorded robbery offences in England and Wales rose by 13 per cent last year to 81,094, up from 71,983 in 2022. This is 26 per cent lower than the year ending March 2003 (110,271 offences) when current recording practices began.
The number of offences involving knives or sharp instruments stood at 49,489 in 2023, up 7 per cent from 46,153 in 2022, but 3 per cent lower than the pre-pandemic total of 51,206 offences in the year ending March 2020.
The figures for knives or sharp instruments do not include Greater Manchester Police and Devon and Cornwall Police owing to data recording issues.
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