Shoplifting across London has soared by 19 per cent in a year, new figures show.
The number stood at 95,302 in the 12 months to September 2025.
The capital’s other force, City of London Police, had a further 1,453, down five per cent from 1,536 in September 2004.
Last year, Scotland Yard launched its largest ever targeted crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs in London.
Officers raided more than 120 shops suspected of buying items stolen from major retailers and reselling them at discounted prices.
Thirty-two suspects were arrested for various offences and items worth hundreds of thousands seized.
Reacting to the data, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “We are having real success tackling the crimes that terrorise communities.
“But the crimes that tear at the fabric of communities, like shop theft and shop robbery, continue to rise and we must do more.
“That is why we are putting 13,000 more neighbourhood officers on the beat, and have invested £2 billion more in forces across the country since we took office.”
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show police-recorded homicides in England and Wales have fallen to their lowest level in more than 40 years – driven by a drop in knife crime.
Shoplifter George Nicholson fills large black holdall bag with items
Metropolitan Police
The change helped drive down the overall murder total to the lowest annual total since 1983.
There were 97 homicides in London last year, down 11 per cent from 109 in 2024, and the fewest recorded since 95 killings 11 years ago in 2014.
Under major policing reforms announced on Monday, counter-terror, fraud and criminal gang investigations are set to be taken over by a new national police force dubbed the “British FBI”.
Mahmood believes it will lift the burden on forces who are believed to be diverting time and resources away from everyday policing against shoplifting and antisocial behaviour to deal with UK-wide issues.
Billy Gazard of the ONS said: “While the crime survey paints a relatively stable picture, many aspects of violent crime and theft recorded by the police have fallen in the past 12 months.
“Homicide and gun crime are at the lowest levels seen this century, while knife crime has also decreased.
“The majority of police forces have seen knife crime fall in the past year, including the larger urban Greater Manchester, Metropolitan and West Midlands areas.
“This is supported by NHS data, which continue to show a decrease in hospital admissions for assault by a sharp object.”
Elsewhere on Thursday, separate figures from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales also suggested bank and credit card fraud increased by 19 per cent to 2.6 million incidents in the year to September.
The statistics “provides a reliable measure of crime trends for the population, and the offence types it covers” because it is not affected by police reporting or recording changes, the ONS said.
It covers a range of personal and household victim-based crime, including theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse and violence with or without injury, but does not include sexual offences, stalking, harassment and domestic abuse, which are presented separately.
Separately, 20 town centres across London have seen an enhanced police presence, building on reductions in thefts, burglary, knife crime and robbery.
Increased police activity also saw a significant increase in arrests in 2025, up by 1,800 – a 44 per cent increase in 12 months. More retail theft cases are being solved.
The Met spokeswoman said the substantial rise in reporting – as much as 200 per cent from some stores – explains much of the ONS’s increase in recorded offences, therefore building stronger intelligence to identify suspects.
Chief Inspector Rav Pathania, the Met’s lead for retail crime, added: “Tackling shoplifting continues to be a priority for the Met.
“Over the current financial year, we have made significant progress, which has resulted in a 4.5 per cent reduction in this type of crime.
“By working with retailers, we are improving evidence gathering and intelligence on the most prolific offenders.
“We are also increasing the use of technology such as facial recognition, which has helped us solve double the number of shoplifting cases.”
