A fall in recorded shoplifting offences in the UK has been welcomed by retailers, but industry groups say the figures do not reflect the full scale of retail crime because many incidents still go unreported.
New data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows police recorded 507,086 shoplifting offences in England and Wales in the year to March 2026, down 4% from 530,324 a year earlier.
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Robbery involving personal property also fell 9% to 57,693 offences. Overall robbery, however, increased 10% to 87,362 offences, largely because of changes in how police record robberies involving business property.
The figures suggest some progress in tackling retail crime, but trade bodies representing retailers say the challenge remains significant, particularly for independent businesses.
Official figures show improvement
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) welcomed the decline in recorded shoplifting and the increase in the number of offenders being charged.
“We welcome the reported reduction in retail crime,” said Andrew Goodacre, Bira’s chief executive. He added that the organisation was also pleased that “more people are being charged.”
The latest ONS figures follow increased cooperation between retailers, police and government. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said stronger intelligence-sharing, more targeted action against repeat offenders and closer collaboration across the retail sector have all contributed to recent progress.
The organisation said it will now be important to ensure new retail crime legislation is effectively enforced so the positive trend continues.
Retailers say crime is still under-reported
Despite the improvement, Bira believes the official data captures only part of the picture.
“We remain concerned that the level of retail crime remains extraordinarily high and now is not the time to relax and lose momentum,” Goodacre said.
He also questioned whether the official statistics reflect what retailers experience every day.
“We are also concerned that the ONS stats may not reflect the true level of crime,” he said, pointing to Bira’s latest member survey, which found that many retailers still choose not to report incidents because of what he described as “a historic lack of support.”
Bira’s survey, published in June, found that almost 77% of independent retailers had experienced theft during the previous 12 months, up from 64% in its earlier survey. Nearly 90% said theft had become worse, while more than three-quarters reported that offenders were becoming increasingly bold. Over 75% said repeat offenders were responsible for much of the theft they faced.
The survey also highlighted the reporting gap. More than 45% of retailers who experienced theft did not report it to police. Among those that did, police attended around two-thirds of incidents, but only 35% ultimately resulted in a prosecution.
Pressure for continued action
Retail organisations say the latest figures should be seen as encouraging rather than conclusive.
The BRC said recent progress reflects stronger joint action across the industry, including intelligence-sharing and targeted operations against prolific offenders. It also stressed that retailers, police and public authorities must continue working together if retail crime is to fall further.
For Bira, sustained action remains essential.
“Now is not the time to relax and lose momentum,” Goodacre said.
The association continues to call for better support for retailers reporting crime, tougher action against repeat offenders and measures to improve the safety of shop workers.
It argues that reducing under-reporting will give policymakers a more accurate picture of retail crime and help shape more effective responses to protect businesses and high streets across the UK.
