The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has hit its highest figure in 20 years.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a total of 443,995 offences were reported by police in the year to March 2024, up 30% from the previous year’s figure of 342,428.

This marks the highest number since records began in March 2023, and follows a previous 20-year peak earlier this year when shoplifting hit a historic high of almost 1,200 offences a day.

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In June, shoplifting in Scotland reached a 10-year high, in what the Scottish Retail Consortium labelled “appalling”.

Last week, Co-op, Tesco, Nisa, the Association of Convenience Stores and the British Retail Consortium welcomed the new Labour government’s commitment to tackling retail crime, as it was announced in the King’s Speech that attacking or abusing a shopworker is to be made a standalone offence.

The Co-op described the King’s Speech as a “crowning moment” for shop workers, marking a positive shift in the crackdown on repeat and prolific offenders.