Convictions and sentencings for shoplifting in England and Wales have climbed to their highest level for nearly a decade, figures show.
There were 48,849 convictions at criminal courts last year for a principal offence of shoplifting, up 19% from 41,014 in 2024.
This is the highest total since the 49,434 convictions recorded in 2017, according to data published on Thursday by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
Analysis by the Press Association shows the age of people convicted of shoplifting has shifted in recent years towards older groups.
In 2017, 40 to 59-year-olds accounted for 29% of convictions where shoplifting was the principal offence.
By last year this had risen to 41%.
Over the same period, the proportion of convicted shoplifting offenders who are under the age of 30 has dropped from 28% to 18%.
Among this group, children under 18 made up 2% of convictions last year, compared with 3% in 2017; 18 to 24-year-olds made up 7%, down from 11%; and 25 to 29-year-olds made up 10%, down from 15%.
The figure for 30 to 39-year-olds has remained broadly level across the period, at around 40% of convictions, while people aged 60 and over make up 1% of the total.
The Ministry of Justice data also shows there were 48,517 sentencings for a principal offence of shoplifting at criminal courts in England and Wales last year, up 19% on 40,609 in 2024 and the highest since 2017.
The average length of a custodial sentence was 2.4 months, the highest since current data began in 2017, when it stood at 1.8 months.
Separate figures published last week by the Office for National Statistics showed the number of police-recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales fell slightly last year, down from 516,611 in 2024 to 509,566 in 2025.
The drop may reflect a change in the way shoplifting offences are recorded by police.
A clarification issued to forces by the Home Office in April 2025 said that where someone has entered a retail premises, steals, then either uses or threatens violence against staff or other people, the offence should be recorded as robbery of business property, not shoplifting.
This change may also account for the steep increase last year in offences classed as robbery of businesses, which rose 78% from 14,691 in 2024 to 26,158 in 2025.
Speaking on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer claimed “the tide could be turning” against shoplifting, during a speech in which he set out the Government’s efforts to crack down on retail crime.
The Prime Minister said the Government had put an extra 3,000 neighbourhood police officers on the streets and scrapped the “ridiculous” rule which left theft of goods worth less than £200 “not properly investigated” by police.
In an address to the Usdaw shopworkers’ union, Sir Keir added: “We’ve toughened up punishment too – we’re giving police stronger powers, making the abuse and assault of retail workers a specific crime and giving you the same protections as emergency workers.”
