Police are giving up on shoplifters: Forces have almost stopped punishing shop thieves with cautions, fixed penalty notices and court convictions plummeting despite offences rising to record levels By Rory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondent For Mailonline Published: 05:11 EDT, 27 August 2024 | Updated: 05:19 EDT, 27 August 2024 e-mail 24 View comments Police have largely stopped punishing shoplifters as the number of offences rises to record levels, official figures reveal. Retail experts have repeatedly warned that the rise of shoplifting is being driven by the perception that it was a risk-free crime . And the idea that most shoplifters are getting off scot-free is supported by newly uncovered statistics, which show all forms of punishment are in decline.
Just 431 shoplifters in the year to March received fixed penalty notices - the lowest form of punishment for goods under £100 - down 98 per cent from 19,419 a decade ago. The use of cautions, which are added to an offender's criminal record, has also plummeted from 16,281 in 2014 to only 2,077 in the last year - a drop of 87 per cent. Just 431 shoplifters in the year to March received fixed penalty notices - the lowest form of punishment for goods under £100 - down 98 per cent from 19,419 a decade ago Almost 444,000 shoplifting offences were recorded by forces in England and Wales in the year to March Home Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to 'end the shameful neglect of this problem' that has 'allowed it to become an epidem.