SHOPLIFTING has soared to its highest level since records began, police figures show.
Cops logged a staggering 50 thefts an hour in England and Wales — but retailers say it’s a fraction of the true number as most aren’t reported.
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Some 443,995 shoplifting offences were recorded for the 12 months to March 2024, which was up 30 per cent on the 342,428 cases in the previous year.
The figure is the highest since current Office for National Statistics (ONS) records began in 2003.
Ministers have vowed to tackle low-level shoplifting, which will ensure police officers investigate crimes even when the stolen goods are worth less than £200.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the thefts were hurting businesses and communities across the UK and damaging public confidence.
New legislation will reverse the “shoplifters’ charter” introduced in 2014, which allows police to deal with thefts of £200 or less by post.
Ms Cooper levelled blame at the Tories, saying they had “deserted our town centres and high streets, leaving local people to face soaring levels of street crime”.
The cost of shoplifting adds 6p to each store transaction, as retailers try to recoup the £1.8billion lost in stolen goods and £700million spent on extra security measures.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said thousands of dedicated trained officers will be back patrolling neighbourhoods.
The ONS figures also show knife crime rose by four per cent to 50,510 offences in the year to March.
The number of robberies went up by eight per cent — to 81,019 — in the same period.
