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Published
Jun 1, 2018
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Shoplifting rises in England and Wales

Published
Jun 1, 2018

Despite widespread efforts to prevent it, shoplifting has continued to rise in England and Wales, with new data revealing a 4% increase in offences between April 2017 and March 2018.



The crime is a financial burden to retailers particularly in the Greater London area, where Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of incidences at 46,840. This is the equivalent of 128 incidents a day, according to research by online marketplace OnBuy.com.

West Midlands Police followed with 19,851 offences during the period, with West Yorkshire Police taking the third spot with 18,491. Both regions saw increases in the number of incidents, up by 1% and 3% respectively

Commenting on the rise in shoplifting, Cas Paton, managing director of OnBuy.com said: “The findings from this research are intriguing. With the overall number of shoplifting incidents increasing from the previous year, it’s a crime which is financially burdening retailers. It’s unfortunate because many owners spend a lot of time, money and energy ensuring all aspects of their operations are running effectively and efficiently.

“Whilst shoplifting may seem difficult to prevent, there are certain cost-effective precautions retailers can take to deter shoplifters from targeting them. Precautions such as training employees to identify the behaviours associated with shoplifters and appropriate signage to warn potential offenders about the seriousness of the matter.”

Dyfed-Powys Police had the lowest number of shoplifting cases during the period, however it experienced the highest growth at 21%. Slightly above was Cumbria Constabulary, where the number of incidents equalled eight a day.

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