Shoplifting crimes in London have surged to a record high over the past year, according to new figures.
Major retailers have expressed concern over the escalating cost of theft, prompting the government to introduce new measures, including making the assault of a shopworker a specific criminal offence.
Home Office data reveals that the Met Police recorded 61,001 shoplifting crimes in the year leading up to March, marking a 45% increase from the previous year's 41,999. This figure is the highest since records began in 2003.
This trend mirrors the overall increase in England and Wales, where 443,995 shoplifting offences were logged in the year to March 2024, a 30% rise from 342,428 the previous year. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this represents the highest level on record, with the latest increase being particularly notable.
In response to this rise, the government announced in the recent King's speech that it plans to amend the Crime and Policing Bill. The amendments will create a new offence specifically for assaulting a shopworker and implement stronger measures to tackle low-level shoplifting. Additionally, the government intends to reverse the £200 theft threshold, which currently allows those who steal goods worth less than £200 to plead guilty by post.
The previous administration had proposed similar changes, but they were abandoned when parliament was dissolved.
The British Independent Retailers Association welcomed these initiatives, stating: “For too long, our members have faced increased incidents of theft, greater volumes of stolen products, and rising abuse towards business owners and staff.”
Commenting on national trends, ONS spokeswoman Meghan Elkin noted: “There has been no change across many crime types in the last year. However, we have seen falls in fraud, while there have been increases in computer misuse and some forms of theft, such as shoplifting and theft from the person. Notably, shoplifting has continued to see increases and remains at its highest level in 20 years.”
She added: “In addition, robbery, offences involving knives or sharp instruments, and offences involving firearms have also increased over the last year while remaining below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.”
The number of recorded robberies in England and Wales rose to 81,019, an 8% increase from the previous year's 75,012. Among these, robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument increased by 13%, with 21,226 incidents recorded in 2023-24.
Greater Manchester's figures are excluded from the national statistics due to an IT issue affecting the processing of knife crime data.
In London, 34,321 robberies were recorded, with 9,230 (27%) involving a knife or sharp instrument.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper attributed the increase in crime to “the disgraceful dereliction of the last Tory government on law and order.”
She promised changes under Labour, stating: “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. Labour has set an unprecedented mission to halve serious violence in 10 years and to restore confidence in policing and the criminal justice system.” Photo by Dani_7C3, Wikimedia commons.