Thousands of shoplifting offences have been recorded across Avon and Somerset
A stock image of shoplifting (Image: Getty)
New data shows a particular neighbourhood in the Bristol area that suffers more retail theft than Bristol city centre.
Police in England and Wales recorded more than 500,000 shoplifting offences in 2024, a huge 20% surge on the previous year and the highest number since records began more than 20 years ago.
That includes 18,243 shoplifting crimes recorded by Avon and Somerset Constabulary, a 24% increase. Last year, police recorded 698 offences of shoplifting in Almondsbury, Pilning & Severn Beach, the Middle Super Output Area (MSOA) covering the three Severn Estuary villages.
That’s more than anywhere else in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, or North Somerset. It’s also the second highest number of offences in the Avon and Somerset police force area behind Central Bath & Lansdown (922 crime reports), and fourth-highest in the South West region.
While it might at first seem surprising that these villages would take the top spot, it makes more sense when you consider that the MSOA also includes big retail parks like The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. Avon and Somerset Police says its dedicated team based at The Mall “work tirelessly” to tackle shoplifting and “have recorded a 91.8 per cent positive outcome rate for incidents of shop thefts” in the past 12 months, with charges and criminal behaviour orders among those outcomes.
In Bristol itself, Kingsdown had the next highest number of offences with 641, followed by Fishponds (587), and Bristol’s City Centre & Harbourside district (496).
Weston Town had the highest number of shoplifting offences in North Somerset (451 crime reports).
You can see how it compares near you using our interactive map.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “Cribbs Causeway is a thriving retail-centred area and home to a significant number of businesses. Retail crime is a priority for the local team and we know full well the significant impact these crimes has on businesses and shop workers.
“Shoplifting has historically been under-reported and we are encouraged by increased reporting which allows us to better target our resources. Our dedicated team based at The Mall work tirelessly to tackle these issues and in the past 12 months have recorded a 91.8 per cent positive outcome rate for incidents of shop thefts, this includes charging offenders and other resolutions in which offenders have been identified.
“We have successfully used anti-social behaviour legislation, including Criminal Behaviour Orders, to target persistent offenders and where these are breached we will take further action to bring them back before the courts. We encourage continued reporting of these incidents to us.
“While we must prioritise our attendance at incidents based on the risk they pose to the public, investigations are still carried out and the intelligence gathered used to inform proactive policing operations. If an incident is ongoing, call 999. For anything else, report it online through our website or by calling 101.”
Top 10 neighbourhoods with the highest number of shoplifting crimes
Almondsbury, Pilning & Severn Beach (South Gloucestershire) – 698
Kingsdown (Bristol, City of) – 641
Fishponds (Bristol, City of) – 587
City Centre & Harbourside (Bristol, City of) – 496
Headley Park (Bristol, City of) – 458
Weston Town (North Somerset) – 451
Westbury Village (Bristol, City of) – 410
Lockleaze (Bristol, City of) – 396
Henbury & Brentry (Bristol, City of) – 319
Hartcliffe (Bristol, City of) – 306
The figures comes as more than one in two retail workers (56%) say they have witnessed so-called “Kamikaze” shoplifting—thefts that take place in plain sight—in their workplaces.
Around one in eight (13%) say it is a daily occurrence, while more than a third (37%) see it happening at least once a week, according to research from workplace operations and improvement platform SafetyCulture.
The British Independent Retail Association (Bira) has described the rise in Kamikaze shoplifting as a “tipping point.”
Bira says it shows that some criminals believe they can “walk into a shop, take what they want in full view of staff and customers, and walk out knowing there will be no consequences”.
At the same time, security firms are reporting a “massive increase in pensioners shoplifting” driven by cost-of-living pressures.
John Nussbaum, director of service for retail for security services provider Kingdom Service, told PA News: “For us over the last 12 months, we’ve got this different level of crime now. We’re now experiencing something different—pensioners, people who don’t normally shoplift.”
Jeff Moody, Bira’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Retail crime is spiralling out of control, and independent retailers are bearing the brunt of it.
“The fact that shoplifting has reached this unprecedented level is frankly alarming, but it’s the brazen nature of these crimes that’s particularly concerning.
“This so-called ‘kamikaze’ shoplifting – where thieves steal in plain sight with complete impunity – is absolutely a phenomenon we’re seeing reported by our members.
“What’s particularly troubling is that half of our members are now choosing not to report thefts because they’ve lost faith in getting any meaningful response.
“We need urgent action from police forces to treat retail crime with the seriousness it deserves, and for the courts to send a clear message that this behaviour won’t be tolerated. Our independent retailers deserve better protection than they’re currently receiving.”
Crime figures are available for every one of more than 7,000 neighbourhoods in England and Wales, except areas covered by Greater Manchester Police, as the force has not supplied crime data for the last year.
Crime figures are available for neighbourhoods with between 7,000 and 10,000 residents, which the government designates as Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs).
The statistics do not include crimes reported at train stations, as British Transport Police record them.