Shoplifting Stats and Figures

Last updated: 07 Jun 2026

During 2026, England & Wales's police forces received 475,025 crime reports about shoplifting. This is a decrease of 4.0% from 2025's figure of 494,770 reports of shoplifting, giving an overall crime rate of 7.13 per 1,000 people in 2026 and a rate of 7.48 per 1,000 people for 2025.

The most dangerous cities for shoplifting are Kensington and Chelsea, Middlesbrough, and Brighton and Hove, with crime rates of 19.17, 16.22, and 14.91 per 1,000 daytime population respectively. The most dangerous region for shoplifting is Durham, which recorded a shoplifting rate of 11.74 offences per 1,000 people in 2026. The second most dangerous area for shoplifting is East Sussex, with a crime rate of 11.65, followed by Nottinghamshire in third, with a shoplifting rate of 10.71 per 1,000 daytime population.

The safest area in England and Wales for shoplifting is City of London, which had a crime rate of 3.69 in 2026. Next safest is Barking and Dagenham, followed by Milton Keynes in third place, with crime rates per 1,000 daytime population of 3.87 and 4.65 respectively.

Top Towns & Cities for ShopliftingOffences

Highest Shoplifting Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	Kensington and Chelsea	19.17
2	Middlesbrough	16.22
3	Brighton and Hove	14.91
4	Nottingham	14.43
5	Norwich	14.41
6	Westminster	13.34
7	Northampton	12.78
8	Reading	12.58
9	Southampton	12.31
10	Southend-on-Sea	12.16
11	Portsmouth	12.02
12	Kingston upon Hull	11.78
13	Newcastle upon Tyne	11.59
14	Wolverhampton	11.20
15	Cardiff	11.20
16	Newham	10.77
17	Camden	10.72
18	Leeds	10.68
19	Hammersmith and Fulham	10.43
20	Bristol	10.21
21	Islington	10.10
22	Lambeth	9.73
23	Peterborough	9.71
24	Derby	9.63
25	Swansea	9.56
26	Sheffield	9.38
27	Birmingham	9.12
28	Haringey	8.74
29	Liverpool	8.70
30	Coventry	8.66
31	Greenwich	8.63
32	Lewisham	8.33
33	Stoke-on-Trent	8.32
34	Kingston upon Thames	8.30
35	Leicester	8.26
36	Hounslow	8.22
37	Hillingdon	8.12
38	Enfield	7.98
39	Bournemouth	7.62
40	Brent	7.54
41	Bromley	7.52
42	Havering	7.50
43	Luton	7.35
44	Waltham Forest	7.32
45	Croydon	7.09
46	Redbridge	7.00
47	Barnet	6.99
48	Hackney	6.92
49	Plymouth	6.86
50	Wandsworth	6.72
51	Swindon	6.68
52	Tower Hamlets	6.30
53	Sutton	6.22
54	Southwark	6.17
55	Ealing	6.17
56	Belfast City	5.99
57	Bexley	5.93
58	Harrow	5.57
59	Bradford	5.53
60	Richmond upon Thames	5.30
61	Merton	5.27
62	Milton Keynes	4.65
63	Barking and Dagenham	3.87
64	City of London	3.69

Lowest Shoplifting Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	City of London	3.69
2	Barking and Dagenham	3.87
3	Milton Keynes	4.65
4	Merton	5.27
5	Richmond upon Thames	5.30
6	Bradford	5.53
7	Harrow	5.57
8	Bexley	5.93
9	Belfast City	5.99
10	Ealing	6.17
11	Southwark	6.17
12	Sutton	6.22
13	Tower Hamlets	6.30
14	Swindon	6.68
15	Wandsworth	6.72
16	Plymouth	6.86
17	Hackney	6.92
18	Barnet	6.99
19	Redbridge	7.00
20	Croydon	7.09
21	Waltham Forest	7.32
22	Luton	7.35
23	Havering	7.50
24	Bromley	7.52
25	Brent	7.54
26	Bournemouth	7.62
27	Enfield	7.98
28	Hillingdon	8.12
29	Hounslow	8.22
30	Leicester	8.26
31	Kingston upon Thames	8.30
32	Stoke-on-Trent	8.32
33	Lewisham	8.33
34	Greenwich	8.63
35	Coventry	8.66
36	Liverpool	8.70
37	Haringey	8.74
38	Birmingham	9.12
39	Sheffield	9.38
40	Swansea	9.56
41	Derby	9.63
42	Peterborough	9.71
43	Lambeth	9.73
44	Islington	10.10
45	Bristol	10.21
46	Hammersmith and Fulham	10.43
47	Leeds	10.68
48	Camden	10.72
49	Newham	10.77
50	Wolverhampton	11.20
51	Cardiff	11.20
52	Newcastle upon Tyne	11.59
53	Kingston upon Hull	11.78
54	Portsmouth	12.02
55	Southend-on-Sea	12.16
56	Southampton	12.31
57	Reading	12.58
58	Northampton	12.78
59	Westminster	13.34
60	Norwich	14.41
61	Nottingham	14.43
62	Brighton and Hove	14.91
63	Middlesbrough	16.22
64	Kensington and Chelsea	19.17

Top Counties and Councils for ShopliftingOffences

Highest Shoplifting Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	Durham	11.74
2	East Sussex	11.65
3	Nottinghamshire	10.71
4	Tyne & Wear	10.46
5	Bristol	10.21
6	South Glamorgan	9.90
7	West Midlands	9.42
8	South Yorkshire	8.83
9	Lincolnshire	8.77
10	West Sussex	8.45

Lowest Shoplifting Rates

Position	Name	Crime Rate
1	Greater Manchester	-
2	Tyrone	1.28
3	Powys	1.79
4	Fermanagh	1.83
5	Gwent	2.09
6	Down	2.91
7	Rutland	2.98
8	Londonderry	3.18
9	Armagh	3.34
10	City and County of the City of London	3.69