​Shoplifting crimes in Lincolnshire reach a record high

It comes as major retailers raised concerns about the rising cost of theft, while the Government has vowed to make assaulting a shopworker a specific criminal offence.

Figures from the Home Office show there were 5,987 shoplifting crimes recorded by Lincolnshire Police in the year to March – a 12 per cent increase from 5,355 the year before.

It was also the highest figure since records began in 2003.

It follows the overall trend for England and Wales, as a total of 443,995 offences were logged by forces in the year to March 2024, up 30 per cent on the 342,428 recorded in the previous 12 months.

The figure is the highest since current records began, according to the Office for National Statistics, which described the latest increase as notable.

Commenting on the national trends, ONS spokeswoman Meghan Elkin said: "There has been no change across many crime types in the last year. However, we have seen falls in fraud, while there have been increases in computer misuse and some forms of theft, such as shoplifting and theft from the person.

"Notably, shoplifting has continued to see increases and remains at its highest level in 20 years.

"In addition, robbery, offences involving knives or sharp instruments, and offences involving firearms have also increased over the last year while remaining below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels."

In Lincolnshire, there were 375 robberies recorded, with 75 involving a knife or sharp instrument.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper blamed the latest figures on "the disgraceful dereliction of the last Tory Government on law and order" as she promised changes under Labour.

She said: "We can’t carry on like this. This Labour Government will put neighbourhood police back on the beat in our town centres, with stronger laws on knife crime, shoplifting and assaults on shop workers to keep our communities safe.

"Labour has set an unprecedented mission to halve serious violence in ten years and to restore confidence in policing and the criminal justice system."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​