Overview

• Shoplifting offences in England and Wales surpassed half a million for the first time in 2024, with 516,971 incidents recorded, marking a 20% increase from 2023.
• Theft-from-person offences also reached a record high of 152,416 in 2024, up 22% from the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
• The Labour government has committed to deploying nearly 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers and has reported a slight improvement in charge rates for shoplifting cases, rising to 19%.
• Broader crime trends show mixed results: knife crime increased by 2%, while knife-enabled homicides fell by 16%, and total homicides dropped to their lowest level in a decade.
• Overall recorded crime in England and Wales fell by 1% in 2024, though fraud and theft spikes continue to shape public perceptions of safety.