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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Politics
Aiza Moraña

Shop Robberies in England and Wales Jump 91% After Recording Changes Reveal Hidden Violence, ONS Data Shows

England Wales Police Home Office Office for National Statistics
Robberies of business property in England and Wales rose by 91% due to new recording rules, highlighting the risks faced by retail workers (Credit: Photo by Dmitry Vechorko on Unsplash)

Police-recorded robberies of business property in England and Wales surged by 91 per cent to 29,669 offences in the year ending March 2026, after new Home Office recording rules exposed previously hidden violence against shops and their staff, latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show.

The increase followed an April 2025 clarification to the Home Office Counting Rules, which directed all police forces to record an incident as a robbery of business property whenever an offender uses or threatens violence.

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