Shoplifting 'epidemic' in London as offences soar almost 80% in three years, warn Liberal Democrats

Shoplifting has become an “epidemic” in London, the Liberal Democrats warned on Tuesday as it was revealed offences had increased almost 80 per cent in three years.

Less than one in five reports of the crime were attended by an officer last year, shocking Met Police data shows.

In 2021 there were 30,109 cases of shoplifting reported to the force. This rose to a staggering 54,161 cases in 2023.

Shopkeepers have warned how their profits are being hit by people targeting their stores to steal goods.

Last year 35,000 reports received no visit from a police officer, data obtained in a Freedom of Information request from the Liberal Democrats shows.

The party said it would invest an extra £170 million into frontline policing over the course of the next Parliament - a move paid for by savings from abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners.

Liberal Democrat candidate for Carshalton and Wallington, Bobby Dean said: “The Conservatives have sat on their hands while shopkeepers across London are left to face a growing shoplifting epidemic.”

He stressed that the capital needed more “bobbies back on the beat” with the resources to properly investigate all crimes.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for an extra £170m to be invested in frontline policing across the country. Only that way we can get back to proper community policing to help bring criminals to justice,” he added.

Carshalton and Wallington is one of three Lib-Dem target seats in south west London, alongside Wimbledon, and Sutton and Cheam.

The Evening Standard has drawn up an interactive map of the key contests in the capital, as well as all the other constituencies.

The Tories are pledging to recruit 8,000 more full-time, fully warranted police officers to “ensure a new police officer for every neighbourhood”, as well as making more use of facial recognition technology to catch law breakers.

Labour has promised to “restore neighbourhood policing with thousands of extra officers” who would be “equipped with the powers they need”. 

The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level in 20 years.

A total of 430,104 offences were logged by forces last year, up more than a third (37 per cent) on the 315,040 recorded in the previous 12 months to December 2022.