Fury as shoplifting soars to record high with thieves ‘becoming bolder and more aggressive'
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SHOPLIFTING offences have gone past half a million in a year for the first time.
A record 516,971 incidents were logged by police — up from 429,873 in 2023.
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Shoplifting offences have gone past half a million in a year for the first time
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Yet only a fifth resulted in a charge while more than half of investigations ended with no suspect identified.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics came after a Sun investigation exposed the scale of shoplifting from Greggs.
We witnessed countless cases of thieves swiping baked and sweet treats from branches across the country — with staff powerless to intervene.
Tom Ironside, of the British Retail Consortium, said shoplifting was costing £2billion a year with rising violence and abuse against staff.
READ MORE ON SHOPLIFTING
PLODDY RIDICULOUS Cops arrest mum for confiscating kids' iPads amid shoplifting epidemic
He added: 'While the ONS statistics show shoplifting at record levels, the figures severely underestimate the problem.
'They are equivalent to less than two incidents per shop per year. Shopkeepers will tell you they're lucky if a day goes by without a shoplifting incident.'
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'This Labour Government will not tolerate the criminality blighting our communities. That's why we're putting almost 3,000 more bobbies on the beat this year.'
But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Law and order is taking a back seat under Labour.'
Meanwhile, 152,416 offences of theft from the person were recorded last year, up more than a fifth from 2023.
So far, at least 16,000 offenders have been let out of jail early as part of Labour's plan to free up space behind bars.
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