Crime statistics: Shoplifting up by 20% according to PSNI figures

Shoplifting is up nearly 20% in Northern Ireland in the last year, according to the latest crime figures release by the police.

It comes despite an overall drop in crime levels.

A shop manager in Belfast city centre told BBC News NI that shoplifting had become "really bad".

Adele Reilly said she had seen an increase in the past couple of years and that people were mostly taking food.

The spike in shoplifting is at odds with the overall crime figures, which show a drop in the past year.

The amount of criminal incidents recorded from April 2023 to March 2024 was down 6% compared to the previous 12 months.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Deputy Chief Constable Chris Todd said the statistics were "very welcome".

"These efforts are all the more remarkable given the significant resource pressures which our officers and staff have found themselves working under throughout this period."

However, he added there were some "areas of concern particularly relating to hate-motivated incidents and shoplifting".

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There were 8,979 recorded incidents of shoplifting in Northern Ireland between April 2023 and March 2024, compared to 7,511 recorded in the previous financial year.

Despite this, theft offences generally remain lower than pre-pandemic, while criminal damage and burglary levels fell to the lowest levels recorded.

The figures also show a small drop in hate crimes (from 2,264 to 1,954) and hate-motivated incidents (3,151 to 3,070). The PSNI say the latter is an incident that may not be severe enough to be classified as a crime.

However, there were small increases in the number of faith/religion and transgender identity crimes.

Adele Reilly said she had "definitely" noticed an increase in shoplifting

Ms Reilly told BBC News NI that when taking note of stock at the end of the day, she noticed items has gone missing nearly every day.

"I don't know [why] but I think it's maybe because of price increases, maybe people haven't got the money to pay for things," she said.

"It does have an impact on the business."

Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Neil Johnston, called for the PSNI to outline a plan of action.

"It is not just an issue of scale; retailers talk about how the nature of these thefts has changed. Thieves have become bolder and more aggressive, and the impact on retail workers is severe," he said.

"The industry is understandably frustrated. While retailers have spent record sums on crime prevention to protect their colleagues, the response from government and law enforcement has been inadequate."

PSNI Insp Pete Cunningham said the force was aware that the rise in shoplifting crime "will cause concern".

"[We] want business owners and retailers across Northern Ireland to know that we are here to support them and offer advice on how they can protect themselves against criminals," he said.

"Our dedicated neighbourhood teams and Crime Prevention Officers are committed to tackling retail crime, which has a significant for business owners and retailers, their staff and the wider local community.

"At a time when so many are facing financial pressure, it's important everyone works together to reduce this issue."

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said it was "fully committed to working with all partners, including businesses, the community and voluntary sector, PSNI, as well as other departments and organisations to ensure that we have a community where we all feel safe to live and work".

"We are engaged with the retail sector, via our role on the business crime partnership," the spokesperson said.