London shoplifting surges 12% amid £16.7m-a-month retail crime wave

Shoplifting across London has increased by 12 percent in a year, as a new interactive map reveals the scale of a crime wave costing the capital’s retailers £16.7 million a month.

As frontline workers brace themselves for the annual rise in offending during the busy festive trading period and January sales, police have launched a crackdown.

Prolific shoplifters George Lupascu, 38, and Michael Hayes, 35, were recently jailed for raids on Boots in Moorgate after stealing beauty products worth a total of £5,200.

Staff who try to intervene in crimes are subjected to racist and sexist slurs, threats, and violence.

Some 99,363 shoplifting offenses were recorded in the 12 months to December, according to the Met’s monthly crime database.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called on retailers to do more to help his force.

Sir Mark said a blitz had reversed the rise in store thefts, with cases down 4.4 percent this year from April to this month, equivalent to 3,000 fewer victims.

Britain’s most senior policeman added that shop owners were justified in criticizing forces two years ago for failing to do enough.

“They were right to say to us, ‘please step up more,’” he said. “And we have done. They need to step up more. There are some of them who are fantastic and I’m not going to name a good and bad list, that would be invidious. But I’m just putting a marker down.”

Retail theft increased 12.4 percent year-on-year from October 2024 when there was a high of 8,192 – 264 per day.

Westminster, home to Europe’s business shopping district Oxford Street, had the highest annual number (8,125), followed by Newham (5,448) where Westfield Stratford City is based, Camden (4,606), Southwark (3,811), Lambeth (3,696), Islington (3,615), Kensington and Chelsea (3,584), Brent (3,514), Ealing (3,490), Bromley (3,390), and Croydon (3,342).

Barking and Dagenham (1,292) had the fewest, followed by Richmond-upon-Thames (1,379), Sutton (1,475), Kingston upon Thames (1,746), Harrow (1,845), Bexley (1,907), Merton (1,943), Lewisham (2,254), Redbridge (2,256), and Waltham Forest (2,535).

But the figures are likely to be much higher because demoralized shopkeepers don’t even bother to report nine in 10 incidents, according to industry experts.

Shoplifting remains the fastest-growing crime in London and the scale of the problem is so great that some owners face going out of business or leaving neighborhoods.

In November, more than 140 people were arrested as part of a week-long Metropolitan Police operation in London’s West End.

Over 100 additional officers were deployed to tackle offenses including shoplifting and phone theft as part of Operation Baselife.

Superintendent Natasha Evans, who led the Met’s operation in London’s West End, said “targeting prolific offenders in crime hotspots works,” adding: “Our intelligence-led approach means we’re solving twice as many shoplifting cases and taking hundreds of offenders off the streets.

“Through this intensified action, we are continuing to ensure the West End remains a safe and welcoming place for residents, businesses, and the millions of visitors who come here each month.

“We’re doubling down before Christmas, as the West End enters one of its busiest periods. Local officers, specialist teams, and tech such as Live Facial Recognition will focus on the areas with the most crime to keep driving numbers down.

“Our officers continue to tackle crimes that matter most to Londoners through highly visible, intelligence-led policing that builds trust in our communities.”

Convictions for shoplifting in England and Wales have hit an eight-year high, with people in their 40s and 50s making up a growing proportion of those found guilty.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said the true scale of retail crime is “far greater” than official figures suggest, pointing to its own survey that suggests staff have “lost faith in the police response.”

He said: “We welcome the Government’s commitment to 3,000 additional neighborhood officers by March 2026 and the Crime and Policing Bill measures, including ending the £200 theft loophole and creating a new offense for assaulting retail workers.

“However, we urge swift implementation of the Government’s Winter of Action – the renewed focus on tackling shop theft in town centers following the summer crime blitz – and call for consistent police response standards across all forces.

“We would also like to see greater use of community behavior orders to deal with the perennial offenders.

“Independent retailers are the backbone of our high streets and need visible support now to protect their businesses, their staff, and their livelihoods.”