In excess of one thousand shoplifting offences per day

Shoplifting has surged to an unprecedented level, witnessing a 25 percent increase in a year, totalling 1,000 offences per day, according to official figures.

The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals 365,164 offences in the year up to June, marking a 24.6 percent rise from the previous 12 months. This surpasses the 24.4 percent post-Covid "jump" in 2021-22.

Despite the rise in incidents, the detection rate for shoplifters has fallen to a record low of 18.2 percent. The proportion of "charged shoplifters" has also seen a significant decline, dropping from 29.7 percent to 14 percent.

As these figures come to light, the government and police chiefs are set to unveil plans next week to tackle shoplifting. The pledge includes a commitment to investigate every crime with a "reasonable" line of enquiry, using CCTV, facial recognition, mobile phones, or ring doorbell cameras.

Policing minister Chris Philp is advocating for comprehensive checks of every shoplifter, thief, or burglar against official databases, including the UK's 50 million passport holders, police national computers, and immigration records.

Retailers report that shoplifting is taking a toll on transaction costs, adding 6p to every store transaction. This is attributed to the annual £1 billion worth of stolen goods and the £700 million spent on security measures. The ONS data indicates an accelerating rate of increase in shoplifting, with 105,230 cases recorded by police in the three months to June, equivalent to 1,200 cases per day.

This rate is double that observed during the pandemic.

Furthermore, personal theft has reached its highest level since the year ending March 2006, totalling 116,523 offences, a 19.7 percent increase. Vehicle theft has hit a record of 131,826 offences, up 13.2 percent. Charging rates have fallen, with only 0.8 percent of thefts against a person resulting in a charge, down from 2.4 percent in 2016.

Robbery offences increased by 11 percent, knife offences (excluding Devon and Cornwall) rose by 3 percent, and firearms offences rose by 13 percent. The ONS attributes these increases to better statistical recording by the police, increased victim reporting, and the addition of new offence types.