Current timestamp: 05/08/2026 11:34:07
AgeAlertAnonymousAppealsApplicationsApply Or RegisterArea OutlineArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow UpAutomatic DoorsBack ArrowBusinessCalendarCashArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow Down[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-chrome' for 'English (United Kingdom)']ClockCloseContactDirectionsDocumentDownloadDrawDrugExpandExternal LinkFacebookFb CommentFb LikeFiletype DefaultFiletype DocFiletype PdfFiletype PptFiletype XlsFinance[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-firefox' for 'English (United Kingdom)']First AidFlickrFraudGive FeedbackGlobeGuide DogHealthHearing ImpairedInduction LoopInfoInstagramIntercom[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-internet-explorer' for 'English (United Kingdom)']LaptopLiftLinkedinLocal Activity[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-location' for 'English (United Kingdom)']LoudspeakerLow CounterMailMapMap PinMembershipMenuMenu 2[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-microsoft-edge' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Missing PeopleMobility ImpairmentNationalityNorth PointerOne Mile RadiusOverviewPagesPaper PlaneParkingPdfPhonePinterestPlayPushchairRefreshReportRequestRestart[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-rotate-clockwise' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Rss[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-safari' for 'English (United Kingdom)']SearchShareSign LanguageSnapchatStart AgainStatsStats And Prevention AdviceStopSubscribeTargetTattosTell Us AboutTickTumblrTwenty Four HoursTwitter LikeTwitter ReplyTwitter RetweetUploadVisually ImpairedWhatsappWheelchairWheelchair AssistedWheelchair ParkingWheelchair RampWheelchair WcYoutubeZoom InZoom Out

Leave this site

Skip to main content

Skip to main navigation

Welcome

This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.

Shoplifting and Burglary (FOI ref: 282A/25)

Request

If you could provide data broken down per year from 2019-2024 please and calendar year if possible.

1. The number of Shoplifting offences per year broken down by outcome

1a) How many were recorded as being committed by a child under the age of 10? And the outcome of this if recorded.

1b)  How many were recorded as being committed by a child aged 10-17?

1c) How many were recorded as being committed by a person aged 18 and over?

 

2. The number of Burglary offences per year broken down by outcome

2a) How many were recorded as being committed by a child under the age of 10? And the outcome of this if recorded.

2b)  How many were recorded as being committed by a child aged 10-17?

2c) How many were recorded as being committed by a person aged 18 and over?

Response

Although we have been able to provide the requested information for questions 1 and 2 (see tables below), we are unable to provide the ages of those who ‘committed’ these offences (questions 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, & 2c) as this information would be based on suspects linked to cases where a formal outcome was applied, such as:

OC1 - Charge/Summons

OC2 - Youth Caution

OC3 - Adult Caution

OC4 - Taken into Consideration (TIC)

OC6 - Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND)

OC8 - Community Resolution

However, whilst an individual receiving a caution, penalty notice, or community resolution has accepted responsibility for the offence, those charged/summonsed (OC1) may not have been convicted and court data is not fed back into our crime recording systems.

If you require data on convictions, you may therefore wish to contact His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) as they may hold relevant court outcome information. More details on how to submit an FOI request to HMCTS can be found at HM Courts & Tribunals Service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Additionally, because there can be more than one suspect linked to a single case, it is not straightforward from our records to determine the suspect(s) to whom the outcomes apply. Our systems record the overall outcome for the crime rather than the specific outcome for each individual suspect. As a result, and due to the fact that there are more than 27,000 offences with the above outcomes, extracting age-specific data for those offences would also not be achievable within the time/cost limits of FOIA (s12).

Q1. The number of Shoplifting offences per year (2019-2024) broken down by outcome.

See following table and please note.

“We fully understand the impact and frustration of shop thefts on businesses of all sizes, it's a crime which can affect livelihoods.

"Our teams across investigations, neighbourhood and response work closely together to prevent and tackle crimes which impact on our communities.

"Using local officer knowledge and working with store security, we are able to identify suspects, and any emerging trends or hotspots quicker.

"We routinely carry out regular high visibility patrols in retail areas, along with other activity, to trace and catch offenders.”

Table1. Shoplifting offences - 01 Jan 2019 to 31 Dec 2024, by Outcome:

Outcome description

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Total

Blank

16

73

-

1

5

431

526

Adult caution with alternative offence

6

3

-

-

-

-

9

Caution - adult (inc. conditional caution)

322

120

65

72

135

116

830

Caution - youth (inc. conditional caution)

25

8

5

6

6

9

59

Charge or summons

3,587

1,792

1,554

1,933

2,955

5,254

17,075

Charge/summons with alternative offence

17

5

-

-

-

-

22

Community resolution

286

139

115

128

245

628

1,541

Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action

-

-

4

12

24

7

47

Evidential difficulties - victim based - named suspect not identified

-

-

193

2,568

7,078

10,158

19,997

Evidential difficulties victim based - named suspect not identified: the crime is confirmed but the victim either declines or is unable to support further police investigation to identify the offender

47

36

-

-

-

-

83

Formal action against the offender is not in the public interest (police)

-

-

26

24

5

7

62

Further action will be taken by another body

-

-

7

24

14

13

58

Investigation complete: no suspect identified

-

-

9,004

8,913

10,221

10,320

38,458

Investigation complete: no suspect identified. Crime investigated as far as reasonably possible - case closed pending further investigative opportunities becoming available

9,575

7,602

-

-

-

-

17,177

Name suspect identified, investigation not in the public interest, police decision

39

6

-

-

-

-

45

Named suspect identified: evidential difficulties prevent further action(no victim support)

-

-

764

1,288

1,454

2,117

5,623

Named suspect identified: evidential difficulties prevent further action(victim support)

-

-

1,366

1,553

1,621

1,579

6,119

Named suspect identified: evidential difficulties prevent further action: victim does not support (or has withdrawn support from) police action

658

556

-

-

-

-

1,214

Named suspect identified: victim supports police action but evidential difficulties prevent further action

1,215

944

-

-

-

-

2,159

Other agency takes primacy

5

1

-

-

-

-

6

Penalty notice for disorder (pnd)

9

4

-

-

-

-

13

Postal charge

280

251

-

-

-

-

531

Postal charge with alternative offence

1

1

-

-

-

-

2

Prosecution not in the public interest (cps) (all offences)

-

-

2

-

-

-

2

Prosecution prevented – named suspect identified but is below the age of criminal responsibility

-

-

-

1

-

-

1

Prosecution prevented - named suspect identified but is too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute

10

3

-

-

-

-

13

Prosecution prevented – named suspect identified but is too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute

-

-

-

1

-

2

3

Prosecution time limit expired: suspect identified but prosecution time limit has expired

-

-

1

1

1

1

4

Sufficient evidence to charge, but cps decided not in the public interest to prosecute

1

-

-

-

-

-

1

Sufficient evidence to charge, but police decided not in the public interest to prosecute

356

114

-

-

-

-

470

Suspect identified, but not in the public interest for police to investigate

-

-

8

2

1

1

12

Taken into consideration (tic)

-

10

-

1

1

6

18

The offender has died (all offences)

2

4

2

-

6

1

15

Youth caution with alternative offence

2

1

-

-

-

-

3

Grand total

16,459

11,673

13,116

16,528

23,772

30,650

112,198

 

 

Q2. The number of Burglary offences per year (2019-2024) broken down by outcome.

See following table and please note.

"We fully understand the devastating impact burglary can have on those affected whether in their home or business environment.

"Since December 2022, we have attended all reported residential burglaries, unless the victim states they do not wish us to attend.

"Date released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) covering the period year ending October 2023 to September 2024 revealed that the number of home burglaries has reduced by 12%.

"We're committed to following the trail of evidence in all the cases we examine − but if an investigation finds no witnesses, CCTV or forensic evidence then the chances of identifying offenders is vastly reduced.

"We also look at the underlying causes of burglary and the people who commit these crimes and have invested in rehabilitation and intervention programmes to help reduce these offences.”

Table2. Burglary offences - 01 Jan 2019 to 31 Dec 2024, by Outcome:

Outcome

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Total

Blank

44

321

7

5

30

386

793

Adult caution with alternative offence

4

2

-

-

-

-

6

Caution – adult (inc conditional caution)

12

15

13

16

19

13

88

Caution - youth (inc conditional caution)

12

9

1

3

4

-

29

Charge or summons

1,115

686

730

990

1,184

976

5,681

Charge/summons with alternative offence

68

86

-

-

-

-

154

Community resolution

29

11

27

76

97

55

295

Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action

-

-

44

33

17

2

96

Evidential difficulties - victim based - named suspect not identified

-

-

348

1,323

1,945

1,558

5,174

Evidential difficulties victim based - named suspect not identified: the crime is confirmed but the victim either declines or is unable to support further police investigation to identify the offender

79

83

-

-

-

-

162

Formal action against the offender is not in the public interest (police)

-

-

10

4

1

-

15

Further action will be taken by another body

-

-

6

3

-

3

12

Investigation complete: no suspect identified

-

-

16,043

16,637

14,922

12,393

59,995

Investigation complete: no suspect identified. Crime investigated as far as reasonably possible - case closed pending further investigative opportunities becoming available

21,961

17,205

-

-

-

-

39,166

Name suspect identified, investigation not in the public interest, police decision

1

-

-

-

-

-

1

Named suspect identified: evidential difficulties prevent further action(no victim support)

-

-

723

825

745

744

3,037

Named suspect identified: evidential difficulties prevent further action(victim support)

-

-

871

916

991

922

3,700

Named suspect identified: evidential difficulties prevent further action: victim does not support (or has withdrawn support from) police action

298

345

-

-

-

-

643

Named suspect identified: victim supports police action but evidential difficulties prevent further action

800

637

-

-

-

-

1,437

Other agency takes primacy

4

-

-

-

-

-

4

Postal charge

157

128

-

-

-

-

285

Postal charge with alternative offence

14

14

-

-

-

-

28

Prosecution not in the public interest (cps) (all offences)

-

-

1

9

1

-

11

Prosecution prevented - named suspect identified but is below the age of criminal responsibility

2

1

-

-

-

-

3

Prosecution prevented - named suspect identified but is too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute

2

6

-

-

-

-

8

Prosecution prevented – named suspect identified but is too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute

-

-

3

-

3

-

6

Prosecution prevented - named suspect identified but victim or key witness is dead or too ill to give evidence

-

1

-

-

-

-

1

Sufficient evidence to charge, but cps decided not in the public interest to prosecute

13

1

-

-

-

-

14

Sufficient evidence to charge, but police decided not in the public interest to prosecute

185

120

-

-

-

-

305

Taken into consideration (tic)

179

22

114

216

237

44

812

The offender has died (all offences)

-

1

2

-

3

2

8

Turning point project

-

1

-

-

-

-

1

Grand total

24,979

19,695

18,943

21,056

20,199

17,098

121,970

Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request may be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting the data.

The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of data which has relevance to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be taken into account when those data are used.  

If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies, or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.