Retailers have drawn attention to the high costs associated with theft from their stores. In the first six months of this year, the Co-op supermarket chain, for example, lost £33 million due to increased shoplifting, according to The Guardian. Zero hedging.
The police recorded about 365,000 shoplifting incidents in the country during the year from last June to this June (that is, an average of 1,000 per day), which represents an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous 12 months.
The government is under increasing pressure to tackle rising rates of shoplifting, which have been attributed to the cost of living crisis and organized crime.
In order to increase the effectiveness of combating crime, the authorities have introduced facial recognition technology in London.
Rampant crime
Some 6.7 million crimes were reported in England and Wales in the first half of 2023, up from 6.5 million the previous year.
The Office for National Statistics reports that the increase is largely due to an increase in shoplifting and fraud against businesses.
The number of knife-related crimes (such as stabbings) rose by 10 percent in England and Wales. The number of crimes committed with firearms rose by 13 percent, to a level similar to before the pandemic.
