Shoplifting in West Midlands increases over past two years
Data presented to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner showed overall business crime offences totalled 55,271 – a rise of 2.6 per cent.
Shoplifting from businesses across the West Midlands has increased in the past two years, according to latest statistics.
Data presented to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) Accountability and Governance Board showed the overall business crime offences in the year ending March 2026 to total 55,271 – a rise of 2.6 per cent.
And a key factor identified for this was the continued rise in shoplifting nationally as well as regionally.
Across the West Midlands, recorded shoplifting increased by 30.2 per cent, with 31,620 offences recorded in the year ending March 2026 compared with 24,295 in the year ending March 2024.
But a report to the committee said, despite this increase in offences, there has been a major improvement in the proportion of shoplifting crimes having a positive outcome for victims.
Figures showed, in the year ending March 2026, 9,511 positive outcomes were recorded giving a rate of 30 per cent – 15.6 per cent higher than March 2024.
The report to the committee said this “reflects targeted activity aimed at bringing more offenders to justice”.
At the meeting, police bosses said there was increased confidence from business owners in reporting crimes to them.
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Andy Parsons said: “I think it’s fair to say for a significant number of years the approach to shop related crime was not on a similar par to other areas of crime investigated by West Midlands Police.
“We’ve taken significant steps to address that. That now features in terms of the number of arrests we’re making for shop related crime.
“We’ve definitely got more of a focus from a force perspective. We know there was a huge amount of under-reporting when it came to shop related crime previously.
“Increased confidence in the policing response is likely to generate an increase in reporting. I’m not saying that’s the whole rationale but it will play a significant part in that.
“Clearly, we have a prevention/problem solving strategy whereby we’re not just seeking to respond but to actually problem solve.
“This is where work with retailers is actually quite key. A large proportion of shop related crime that is reported is committed by a small number of individuals.
“The individuals that commit that crime are often doing so, not for financial gain, but to fund an addiction of either drink or drugs.
“We’re in the process of where we are rolling out the offender to recovery programme across all seven local policing areas. That programme is targeted on tackling the cause of the offending rather than punishing the offender.”