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In 2025/26, there were approximately 1.64 million theft offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales, compared with just under 3.41 million in 2002/23. Unlike overall crime, the number of police recorded theft offences has not seen a substantial increase, with the number of thefts in the 2020s similar to that a decade earlier, with a small uptick in the late 2010s. This is however due to the decline of certain types of theft, with some types of theft increasing substantially since the pandemic.

Shoplifting offences peak in 2025

In 2024/25, there were around 530,640 shoplifting offences reported by the police in England and Wales, a peak for this type of crime and a noticeable increase on the previous year. Areas of the country with the highest shoplifting rates include Cleveland, Nottinghamshire, and Sussex. Aside from shoplifting, theft from the person offences also reached a peak in the 2024/25 reporting year, at over 151,000 offences, compared with just 78,000 ten years previous. This type of theft is usually accomplished via pickpocketing or snatching and doesn't involve the implicit use or threat of force that a robbery offence would. 

Shifting crime patterns 

Since the early 2000s, there has been a significant fall in the number of burglaries in England and Wales. It's possible this is due to the falling value of certain types of goods, such as TVs, that would typically be targeted in a burglary, with home security technology also improving during this time. The rise of fraud offences and the proliferation of the online scam industry also suggest that would-be criminals have moved online, adoping increasingly sophisticated tactics to steal from people rather than via more conventional theft methods.