Overview

• Police in England and Wales recorded 516,971 shoplifting offences in 2024, a 20% rise from 2023 and the highest since records began in 2003.
• Theft from individuals, including mobile phone snatches, reached 152,416 cases in 2024, a 22% increase from the previous year.
• Knife crime rose by 2% to 54,587 offences in 2024, though it remains 1% below pre-pandemic levels, with knife-enabled homicides dropping by 16%.
• Only 19% of shoplifting cases resulted in charges, while 57% ended with no suspect identified, prompting calls for increased neighbourhood policing.
• London remains a hotspot, accounting for 31% of national knife crime and seeing a 54% increase in shoplifting compared to a 15% rise in other regions.