NEW figures reveal Gwent has among the lowest rates of shoplifting offences in the UK.

Police recorded far fewer shoplifting offences in the Gwent force area than in the neighbouring South Wales Police region last year, and fewer than the Welsh average.

But the safest part of Wales for traders looking to protect their wares is in the Dyfed-Powys police force area.

Shoplifting describes theft from a shop by taking something without paying for it - and the offence can carry hefty prison sentences, depending on the value of the stolen goods.

Data compiled by TradingPedia shows 441 shoplifting offences were recorded in the Gwent area last year for every 100,000 residents.

This is lower than the Welsh average of 540 offences, as well as two other Welsh police force areas.

Some 635 incidents of shoplifting were recorded in the South Wales Police area per 100,000 residents last year, and in the North Wales Police area the rate was 589.

Dyfed-Powys Police recorded 344 shoplifting offences per capita, the second-lowest of any force in the UK last year.

The data shows the police force with the highest rate of shoplifting was City of London, a small service in the UK capital's central business district.

But that rate of 7,907 shoplifting offences per 100,000 residents is affected by the relatively small number of people living there and the vast amounts of commuters and tourists who pass through the area.

Outside of the City, the police forces recording the most per capita shoplifting offences in Wales and England were Cleveland (1,172 offences per 100,000 people), Nottinghamshire (1,005) and Humberside (848).

The police force areas with the lowest recorded rates of shoplifting were Surrey (309), Dyfed-Powys (344) and Warwickshire (377), according to TradingPedia.

Shoplifting is an offence under the Theft Act 1968 and punishments for those convicted vary, based on the value of what was stolen.

The theft of goods worth less than £200 is considered "low-value shoplifting", and the Sentencing Council, which creates guidelines for judges in Wales and England, has set the maximum sentence for that offence at six months in prison.

But for shoplifters convicted of stealing goods worth more than £200, the maximum punishment is set at seven years in prison.