Home / Crime and Justice / Shoplifting Epidemic Leaves 290,000 Cases Unsolved in UK
Shoplifting Epidemic Leaves 290,000 Cases Unsolved in UK
24 Aug
Summary
- 55.5% of shoplifting investigations in England and Wales failed to identify a suspect
- Just 18.3% of cases resulted in a charge
- Metropolitan Police had the worst record, with 76.9% of cases closed with no suspect
As of August 25th, 2025, a concerning trend has emerged in the UK's fight against shoplifting. According to a recent analysis by the House of Commons library, almost 290,000 shoplifting cases went unsolved in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The data, which covered all territorial police forces in England and Wales except Humberside and the British Transport Police, revealed that 55.5% of shoplifting investigations failed to identify a suspect. Furthermore, just 18.3% of cases resulted in a charge.
The Metropolitan Police, which had the highest number of reported shoplifting incidents at 93,705, had the worst record, with 76.9% of cases closed with no suspect identified and only 5.9% leading to a charge.
These figures represent a significant increase from the previous year, with 245,337 unsolved cases in 2023-24. On average, 793 shoplifting offences a day went unsolved across the country.
Retail bosses have warned that shop theft is spiraling out of control, and they need to see immediate results from authorities. The government has pledged to increase the number of officers for neighborhood policing by next spring, but industry leaders argue that more needs to be done to tackle this growing epidemic.
