British high streets face 'Christmas crime wave' as nearly 700 shoplifting offences go unsolved every day

This represents a dramatic 38 per cent increase compared to the number of unsolved cases from five years ago, as shop staff brace for what MPs are calling a "Christmas crime wave."

More than half (56.4 per cent) of shoplifting cases were closed because no suspect was identified, according to the analysis.

Only around one in six cases resulted in someone being charged or summonsed in the past year.

In November, the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee warned policing minister Dame Diana Johnson that shop theft is "seriously underreported and not being tackled properly".

The committee said this growing problem risks undermining public confidence in both the police and criminal justice system.

A specialist police squad has made some progress, arresting 93 members of organised crime gangs behind retail theft within seven months.

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Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Lisa Smart said: "Shop staff are having to deal with a Christmas crime wave as shoplifters act with impunity, with so many crimes being effectively legalised by the previous Conservative government's shocking neglect."

"The new Government needs to get a grip on this shoplifting epidemic, and hard-working shop staff on the frontline need to be reassured that they will not continue to be abandoned," she added.

Smart called for ministers to ensure officers have proper resources to focus on local neighbourhoods and protect shop workers. The surge in shoplifting comes as official figures released in October revealed the offence had hit a 20-year high.

A total of 469,788 shoplifting offences were logged by police forces in the year to June 2024. This marks a 29 per cent increase from the 365,173 cases recorded in the previous 12 months.

The current figures represent the highest annual total since current records began in March 2003.

The Co-op alone recorded 330,000 incidents of shoplifting, abuse, violence and antisocial behaviour in its stores during 2023, marking a 44 per cent increase from the previous year.