Shoplifting offences in England and Wales fell four per cent in the year to March 2026, following a period of increases, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, although retail leaders cautioned that crime remains at unacceptably high levels and continues to be significantly underreported.
Police recorded 507,086 shoplifting offences during the year, down four per cent from 530,324 the previous year. The ONS said recent rises in shoplifting had likely reflected both an increase in offending and improved reporting as police encouraged retailers to report all incidents and submit evidence such as CCTV footage.
The statistics also note that a clarification to Home Office counting rules introduced in April 2025 is likely to have had a small effect in reducing recorded shoplifting offences by requiring incidents involving violence or threat of violence against a shop worker, or security guard, or any other person during a theft at a retail premises to be recorded as robbery of business property instead.
Sarah Jones, crime and policing minister, said the figures showed that the government’s approach is working.
“But we will not stop here. For too long, retail crime has been dismissed as low-level offending. It harms shop workers, damaged businesses and hollows out communities,” she said.
“Shoplifting charges are up 19 per cent. More offenders are being caught and facing justice, with almost one in four offences now leading to a change, and that reflects a real change in how seriously this crime is now being taken.”
Reacting to the figures, Hemanshu Patel, national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed), said the data offered “cautious optimism” but stressed that retail crime remained a major concern for independent shopkeepers.
“The Fed has consistently highlighted our members' concerns about the high levels of retail crime and theft affecting independent retailers across the country – today's figures suggest the situation may be beginning to stabilise, but the problem remains far too serious,” Patel said.
“While there are encouraging signs that retail crime may be levelling off, overall levels remain far too high and significant underreporting means the true scale of the problem is still not fully understood.”
Patel also welcomed the government's recent announcement that neighbourhood policing numbers have increased by 22.2 per cent since March 2025, describing it as “a positive step”, but said much more was needed before independent retailers felt adequately protected.
Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), welcomed the decline in recorded retail crime but cautioned that offending remained at “extraordinarily high” levels.
“We welcome the reported reduction in retail crime, and we are pleased that more people are being charged. We remain concerned that the level of retail crime remains extraordinarily high and now is not the time to relax and lose momentum,” he said.
Goodacre also questioned whether the ONS figures reflected the true scale of offending, pointing to Bira's latest survey, which found many retailers still do not report incidents to police because of a lack of confidence in the response.
Bira's June 2026 survey found that almost 77 per cent of independent retailers had experienced theft in the previous 12 months, while nearly 90 per cent said shoplifting had worsened compared with the previous year. More than 45 per cent of retailers affected by theft said they had not reported incidents to police, citing a historic lack of support, while only around a third of reported cases resulted in a prosecution.
Goodacre said continued pressure was needed to tackle retail crime, improve support for reporting incidents and protect shop workers and independent businesses.
Lucy Whing, crime policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium, echoed the sentiment.
“While today’s figures give a welcome indication of progress, the baseline challenge facing retailers across the country remains vast, and the pace of change is far too slow,” she said.
She noted that the retail industry, in partnership with authorities, has made significant progress in tackling the issue, with the new standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker, as well as the removal of the £200 threshold for ‘low-level’ theft.
“There is also more intelligence-sharing, targeted action against prolific offenders, and greater collaboration across the industry. But there is still much to be done, and it will be crucial that the new legislation is effectively enforced, with retailers and authorities continuing to work together so that this progress can continue,” she added.
The ONS figures also showed overall police-recorded theft offences fell eight per cent to 1.6 million in the year to March 2026, while burglary dropped nine per cent, vehicle offences fell 11 per cent and theft from the person declined 20 per cent.