New map shows UK streets hit hardest by 'Kamikaze' shoplifting
A new map has revealed the UK high streets hit hardest by a wave of 'Kamikaze' shoplifting - as brazen thieves snatch goods in plain sight with little fear of consequences.
More than 500,000 shoplifting offences were recorded by police in England and Wales in 2024 - a 20% surge on the previous year, and the highest since records began more than 20 years ago. Over half (56%) of retail workers say they've witnessed so-called Kamikaze shoplifting - blatant, in-your-face theft - in their workplace, according to research by SafetyCulture.
One in eight (13%) say it happens daily, and over a third (37%) see it weekly. The British Independent Retail Association (Bira) calls it a 'tipping point', warning some offenders now 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.'
Adding to the trend, security firms report a 'massive increase' in pensioners shoplifting - driven by cost-of-living pressures. '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,' said John Nussbaum of Kingdom Service Group.
The crime map reveals Leeds City Centre as the worst-hit area, with 3,004 shoplifting offences in 2024 - that's one every three hours. Fitzrovia West & Soho in Westminster followed with 2,430, and Brighton's North Laine & the Lanes came third with 2,116.
Also ranking high on the list is Cathays South & Bute Park in Cardiff (1,753), the City of London (1,687), Central Birmingham (1,407), Newcastle City Centre (1,240), Liverpool's Central & Islington district (1,240), and Stone & Crossways in Dartford (1,229).
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. The figures cover 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.
You can see how retail theft compares near you using our interactive map.
The news comes after a former shoplifter who once stole £3 million worth of goods says Brits now have 'a licence to steal' as shoplifting hits record highs. Cullan Mals, 32, used to steal up to £2,000 a day - as much as £14,000 a week - before turning his life around. He says soft sentences made it easy: 'People now have a licence to steal and it's getting even worse with the cost-of-living crisis.'
Now a podcaster working with a drug recovery charity in Cardiff, he believes tougher penalties are the only solution: 'People now have total licence to steal. I think personally, if it's on an organised level, the sentences need to be harsher because at the end of the day these people know penalties are weak. When you go to an off licence, everything is behind Perspex - it's a bit dystopian but it works. Big supermarkets should lock up all meat, booze, aftershave, and then just have a guy there whose job it is to unlock the goods for shoppers.'
His comments come as repeat offender Martyn Boyns was arrested and charged with nine counts of shop theft and one of fraud in Penzance and Newlyn. The £1,200 haul included nappies, perfume, meat, and booze. Penzance Police, who announced the arrest on Facebook, said officers had been 'working tirelessly' to gather evidence. Boyns has now been banned from several shops and four streets in the town.
Another former shoplifter, Keeley Knowles - once known as 'Birmingham's most prolific' - stole thousands of pounds' worth of goods to fund her heroin addiction. After 28 prison stints, she's now 18 months clean and working to inspire recovery. She credits her turnaround to West Midlands Police 's Offending to Recovery programme, which began in Erdington in 2018 and is now expanding to Coventry, Dudley, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. The scheme was developed after research showed 70% of shop theft was linked to heroin and crack addiction.
Meanwhile in Edinburgh, shopkeeper Majid Mohamed says his mobile phone accessories and repair shop is regularly targeted - especially during peak tourist seasons.
'It depends on the time of year really how bad shoplifting is, it's particularly bad at Christmas and New Year and of course The Fringe, the busy times for the city,' he said. 'We have CCTV but when they are in groups they provide cover for each other. Sometimes items are stolen without us even noticing until too late. And even though we have the cameras the thieves don't seem to care, it's a 'what are you going to do' kind of attitude, pretty intimidating.'
Jeff Moody, Bira's Chief Commercial Officer, said: '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. 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.
'The harm to retailers goes far beyond the immediate financial loss. Independent businesses operate on wafer-thin margins, and every theft chips away at their ability to invest, grow, and employ people. 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.'
Shoplifting was first described as an 'epidemic' in 2023 by Dame Sharon White, the chair of John Lewis Partnership, and since then, crime - and the cost to retailers - has spiralled. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said retailers footed an 'eye-watering' £4.2 billion bill from crime last year, including £2.2bn lost to shoplifting, and £1.8bn spent on crime prevention measures.
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