Shoplifting in England and Wales has risen to the highest levels in over 20 years, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The organisation said there were 443,995 shoplifting offences recorded by the police in the year ended March 2024, a 30 per cent increase compared to the previous year and the highest numbers since records began in 2002.

The ONS said findings from the Commercial Victimisation Survey 2023 also showed a rise in retail crime. The survey estimates that 26 per cent of premises in the retail and wholesale sectors experienced customer theft during the previous 12 month compared with 20 per cent in 2014.

Last month, a new study found that almost a third of shoppers had witnessed shoplifting over the past year, a figure which rose to 44 per cent in London.

The retail industry has long been concerned about the rising levels of crime and last year called on the then home secretary Suella Braverman to take action.

The retail industry last week applauded plans outlined in the King's Speech to legislate and make a new specific offence for attacks on shop workers.

The previous government first announced a new legislation to make the assault of a retail worker a standalone criminal offence in April.

At the time it said it would invest £55.5 million over the next four years in facial recognition technology to prevent shoplifting. This included £4 million for mobile units that can be deployed to High Streets and used in crowded areas to identify people wanted by the police.

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