‘tide could be turning’ on shoplifting epidemic

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his Government had ended the ‘shoplifters’ charter’ for goods worth less than £200.

Sir Keir Starmer claimed “the tide could be turning” against shoplifting as he set out the Government’s efforts to crack down on retail crime.

His comments came as a think tank highlighted figures showing 67% of shoplifting offenders go on to commit another offence within 12 months, up from 55% before the pandemic.

In an address to the Usdaw shopworkers’ union, Sir Keir said: “It’s disgraceful that people just working in their shop have to take abuse from customers.

“It’s disgraceful that people feel sick to the stomach thinking about how they’re going to get through the day and it’s disgraceful that people can have their lives and livelihoods ruined by persistent shop theft.”
He said the Government has put an extra 3,000 neighbourhood police officers on the streets and scrapped the “ridiculous”  rule which left theft of goods worth less than £200 “not properly investigated” by police.

“That was a shoplifters’ charter, and we’ve ended it and not before time,” he said.

“We’ve toughened up punishment too.

We’re giving police stronger powers, making the abuse and assault of retail workers a specific crime and giving you the same protections as emergency workers.”
Sir Keir said he was “not blind to how big this challenge is” but said the number of people charged had gone up 17% in the latest statistics and shop theft was down.

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed shoplifting offences fell slightly last year, down from 516,611 in 2024 to 509,566 in 2025.

Sir Keir said: “It’s only slightly down,  but the tide could be turning.”
The Prime Minister’s speech came as the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) warned of a high street crime epidemic.

The centre-right think tank highlighted figures uncovered by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith through parliamentary questions which showed the extent of repeat offending.

The think tank’s analysis showed the average number of offences committed by shoplifters has nearly doubled in five years, rising from 5.5 to 9.1 offences per convicted thief.

Sir Iain, the CSJ’s chairman, said: “Communities across Britain are suffering from a high street crime wave.

“Set against years of economic difficulties, there is a risk that some of our town and city centres are left permanently hollowed out.”
A standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker is set to be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill going through Parliament.

But the two Houses of Parliament are currently in a tussle over the final draft of the Bill as the end of the parliamentary session nears.

Almost 80% of shop workers said they experienced verbal abuse, more than half said they were threatened by a customer and 10% said they were assaulted in the latest annual survey by retail trade union Usdaw.

The small drop in shoplifting in the ONS figures may reflect a change in how such offences are recorded.

Offences where someone has entered a retail premises, steals, then either uses or threatens violence against staff or other people should be classed as robbery of business, police forces were advised in April last year.

This may account for the steep increase in the number of such robberies recorded, which rose 78% to 26,158 in 2025.

Joanne Thomas, Usdaw general secretary, said the incoming legislation delivers “much-needed protection of retail workers’ law”.

She said: “While there has been a welcome small decrease in shoplifting across last year, the fact is retail crime continues to be a significant issue for the sector and particularly staff.

“Usdaw’s last survey found that this is in no way a victimless crime, with two-thirds of attacks on retail staff being triggered by theft or armed robbery.

“Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers.”