Recorded shop theft offences have grown by 5% but remained below recent record levels, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Police recorded 519,381 shop theft offences in the 12 months to September 2025, up from 492,660 the previous year, but lower than the 529,994 offences recorded in the year to June 2025.
The highest level of offences on record was for the year ending March 2025, when cases grew 20% to 530,643.
ACS has highlighted, however, that the ONS statistics still fall short of the real incident rate as it only tracks reported offences.
Figures from the trade body’s 2025 Crime Report showed there were over 6.2 million incidents of theft recorded by convenience retailers over the past year, highlighting the “significant gap between what is happening on the ground and what is being recorded by forces”, it said.
“Tackling theft, abuse, robbery and other retail crime is a top priority for local shops, with over half a billion pounds spent in the last two years on crime prevention and detection measures,” said ACS CEO James Lowman. “The official figures continue to highlight the challenges facing convenience stores, but they still pale in comparison to the reality faced by retailers and their colleagues.
“Significant positive steps have been made throughout the last year on increasing the visibility and accessibility of police forces in communities, and retailers tell us that their relationships with the police are improving. What we need now is a commitment throughout the justice system to break the cycle of reoffending.”
The BRC said the rise in organised crime was concerning, with gangs “systematically targeting one store after another”. It also noted that theft was the main trigger for violence and abuse against retail workers.
“Government, police and retailers are committed to working together to turn the tide on crime,” said BRC crime policy advisor Lucy Whing. “We will soon see the implementation of the Crime and Policing Bill, which will remove the £200 threshold for ‘low level’ theft, sending a clear signal that shoplifting will not be tolerated.
“It will also introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker, strengthening sentencing and improving the visibility of violence against retail workers so that police can allocate the necessary resources to tackle this challenge and protect our high streets and colleagues.”
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