Shop theft falls 4% but retailers warn crisis remains underreported

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The Office for National Statistics recorded 507,086 offences during the year ending March 2026, compared with the previous year when 530,324 offences were recorded by police

A 4% fall in shop theft incidents recorded by police has brought “cautious optimism” to the retail sector, as trade bodies warn the true scale of the crisis remains heavily underreported.

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