Why has UK shoplifting reached a record high? 

At a time when many Brits can’t afford to support themselves or their families, is it any surprise that in-store theft is on the rise? 

The news cycle seems to be preoccupied with updates regarding grocery prices and cost of living surges. Only yesterday I looked at my phone to find a notification that my water bill was increasing from April. Sigh.

For the average Brit, shopping has become a daunting chore – an expense many can’t afford and yet can’t live without.

So it seems some are finding alternative routes to filling the cupboards.

UK retailers have warned that crime in stores has spiralled ‘out of control’, with 55,000 instances of shoplifting a day over the past year.

The Office for National Statistics reports a 23% increase in shoplifting offences in England and Wales, totalling nearly half a million incidents in the year leading up to September 2024. That’s around 1,350 thefts per day. The five-finger discount is more popular than ever.

But while the media laments £2.2 billion losses for UK stores, it’s worth considering the reasons for this spike in retail crime.

Inflation has driven up prices on essentials, while wages stagnate and social safety nets are fraying. Combined with a lack of trust in the police, it’s not all that surprising that some are turning to desperate measures.

Denise Bartrum, a supermarket worker from Kent, says shoplifters have become more brazen in the face of security cuts and rising costs.

‘Quite a few don’t hide it’ Bartrum tells the Guardian ‘as they know staff are not allowed to stop them and some stores don’t have security staff. They come in and just cut security tags off.’

‘Now there is no average shoplifter. It could be anybody. We have well-dressed women and men going through self-service or scan-to-ship and they might have not scanned half of it.’

Bartrum’s comments about shoppers’ appearance speaks to a broader issue of how we perceive shoplifters and criminals more generally.

Despite stereotypes of what the ‘average shoplifter’ might look like (a redundant phrase that implies there is such a thing as an ‘average shoplifter), there is no one-size-fits-all in these situations, particularly not as the cost of living impacts pretty much everyone living in the UK.

Whether desperate or simply fed up, these instances of theft are not played out by hardened criminals but by ordinary individuals.

The media’s portrayal of this issue often lacks nuance, focusing on the crime itself rather than underlying causes. It’s easier to vilify individuals than to address systemic issues like economic inequality and inadequate social support.

This one-dimensional narrative not only stigmatizes those in desperate situations but also distracts from the broader societal failures that contribute to such behaviour. And that’s not to suggest the rise in shoplifting is solely about economic hardship either. It’s also a reflection of growing disillusionment with the establishment.

When people perceive a system rigged against them, one where the rich get richer while the average taxpayer struggles, shoplifting becomes a small form of protest – a means of taking back control in an otherwise chaotic and overwhelming world.

Nearly half a million shoplifting offences were recorded by police in England and Wales in a year, the highest 12-month total on record, figures show pic.twitter.com/WOlzCJDx5x

— PA Media (@PA) January 30, 2025

Of course, that doesn’t mean retail theft is ever ‘okay’. And the irony is that big corporations are rarely the ones who suffer the consequences. Reports suggest that recent spikes in shoplifting have also involved violence and abuse against store staff, with 70 incidents a day involving a weapon in 2024.

Paul Gerrard, the public affairs director at the Co-op, told the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee inquiry into shoplifting that a 44% rise in retail crime the supermarket chain experienced last year was down to ‘people coming into stores with wheelie bins or builder’s bags to steal the entire confectionery section or spirits or meat section.’

Helen Dickinson, the British Retail Consortium (BRC)’s chief executive, says these crimes are often driven by organised gangs and prolific offenders who grow more daring because ‘they don’t see that there’s necessarily any consequences.’

Shop staff are often told not to intervene to avoid the risk of attack. Like Amit Puntambekar, a shop owner from Cambridgeshire, who said he was punched in the face by a young woman he suspected of stealing vapes earlier this year.

The response from authorities has been less than inspiring. Despite retailers investing £1.8 billion in security measures, confidence in police response remains low. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which classifies thefts under £200 as low-level, has led to minimal police intervention and low arrest rates.

Overall, this cycle of crime leads to higher prices, store closures, and job losses, further exacerbating the very conditions that contribute to the problem.

But the solution is hardly as simple as ‘cracking down’ on the problem. We need to address the root causes: economic inequality, lack of opportunity, and a fraying social fabric. This means implementing policies that support living wages, affordable housing, and accessible social services. Demonising those who shoplift isn’t an ideal starting point.