The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales in a year has surpassed half a million for the first time on record, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Police recorded 516,971 shoplifting offences in 2024, a 20 per cent increase on the 429,873 offences in 2023 and the highest number recorded since modern record-keeping practices began in 2003.