SHOPLIFTING offences have gone past half a million in a year for the first time.
A record 516,971 incidents were logged by — up from 429,873 in 2023.
Yet only a fifth resulted in a charge while more than half of investigations ended with no suspect identified.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics came after a Sun investigation from .
We witnessed countless cases of from branches across the country — with staff powerless to intervene.
Tom Ironside, of the , said shoplifting was costing £2billion a year with rising violence and abuse against staff.
He added: “While the ONS statistics show at record levels, the figures severely underestimate the problem.
“They are equivalent to less than two incidents per shop per year. Shopkeepers will tell you they’re lucky if a day goes by without a shoplifting incident.”;
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “This Labour Government will not tolerate the criminality blighting our communities. That’s why we’re putting almost 3,000 more bobbies on the beat this year.”;
But Shadow Home Secretary said: “Law and order is taking a back seat under Labour.”;
Meanwhile, 152,416 offences of theft from the person were recorded last year, up more than a fifth from 2023.
So far, at least 16,000 offenders have been let out of jail early as part of Labour’s plan to free up space behind bars.
