Shoplifting falls 4% but retail workers still face abuse, Retail Trust warns

Police-recorded shoplifting offences have fallen for the first time following a sustained period of increases, but the Retail Trust has warned that the figures do not mean the retail crime crisis is over.
The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales dropped four per cent to 507,086 in the year to March 2026, down from 530,324 during the previous 12 months, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data.
The ONS said the decline followed a period of risi