Overview

• Shoplifting offences reached 530,643 in the year to March 2025, a 20% rise on the previous year, according to Office for National Statistics data.
• Investigations reveal organised gangs of asylum seekers based in taxpayer-funded hotels using tin foil-lined bags to steal high-end designer goods in central London.
• Retailers estimate losses have surpassed £1.8 billion, adding roughly 6 pence to the cost of each customer purchase to recoup theft-related expenses.
• The Metropolitan Police report a 163% year-on-year increase in shoplifting cases solved through proactive patrols, and the Home Office will assign 3,000 new neighbourhood officers to bolster retail security.
• The Crime and Policing Bill proposes removing the low-value-theft threshold, creating a standalone offence for assaults on shop workers and enhancing intelligence-sharing between police and retailers.