Britons are turning to crime as the cost of living crisis drags on, with shoplifting of meat, alcohol and sweets last year reaching its highest level in a decade, according to new data.
More than 1.1 million theft incidents were recorded in 2022, up from 970,000 the year before and reaching the highest level in a decade, according to a report by the Convenience Stores Association published Thursday.
James Lowman, chief executive of ACS which represents convenience stores across the UK, said the levels of theft occurring daily were “unprecedented”. He added that “repeated offenders, known to the community and known to the police, steal without fear of blame.”
More people are committing crimes in response to the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, as many families struggle to afford everyday essentials as prices continue to rise.
The report comes after new data released on Wednesday showed inflation stuck at 8.7 percent in May, worse than the expected 8.4 percent, piling pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates.
The report found that increased gang activity and people with addiction problems stealing to finance their drug or alcohol habits led to an increase in crime rates. Higher value store products, such as meat or alcohol, can usually be sold.
Although food price inflation fell from 19 per cent in April to 18.3 per cent last month, the cost of the same food items in supermarkets still rose by 0.9 per cent in May alone.
Stores have limited the number of items on their shelves in recent months to reduce the risk of items being stolen, as well as adding safety labels to food items such as steak, cheese and butter.
Nearly 80 percent of retailers surveyed by the ACS, which has some 48,000 members, said the cost of living crisis was behind theft, with the majority of store employees experiencing verbal abuse over the past year.
Local stores are calling on the police and government to submit a “wanted” list of shoplifters in local areas, so that prolific offenders can be identified and banned from stores or referred to rehabilitation programs.
Fiona Malone, who runs Tenby Stores, a local independent department store in Wales, said: “Many of the people who steal from my shop are known to the community and the police. We need to do a better job of tackling these offenders and bringing them to justice.
“Unfortunately, shop thieves know that anything less than £50 worth of stolen items is rarely noticed by the police.”