Newport shoplifting cases soar as businesses speak out

According to the Office for National Statistics, shoplifting offences were up by more than a third (37%) in 2023 in England and Wales, compared with 2022.

Looking locally in the past six months, The Argus set out to see if shoplifting offences recorded by Gwent Police had dropped or risen, to understand the numbers and trends, to see how serious the issue is and what can be done about it.

Figures in the table below have been taken from Gwent Police data and show the number of recorded shoplifting instances over a 6-month period. February 2023 has been added as a year-on-year comparison. 

Please note, these numbers may actually be higher, because not all incidents get reported.

Shoplifting offences recorded via Gwent Police data (Image: Canva)

Comparing Feb 2023 and Feb 2024, Newport has seen the highest recorded increase in shoplifting in Gwent, with 44 recorded instances more this year. That's a 30% rise in recorded shoplifting in 12 months, while it is a 14% rise from January 2024.

While in Caerphilly, Monmouthshire and Torfaen, figures show a drop since February 2023 and since January 2024, though these may seem like small decreases.

Investigating shoplifting offences

According to Forbes, a recession is "a significant decline in economic activity that lasts for months or years".

When times are tough economically, like during a recession, more people tend to shoplift because they're struggling financially. 

But is it easy to investigate shoplifting offences and catch the culprit? Well, not exactly.

Take the slider below. With this, you can narrow down which area has the highest rate of shoplifting and what the outcome was following a police investigation.

Take February 2023 as an example. In this month, there were 143 recorded shoplifting offences in Newport and 3 cases had a "local resolution" which is less than 3%. The outcomes for the other 140 offences are:

• 'Court result unavailable' - 50

• 'Formal action is not in the public interest' - 5

• 'Investigation complete; no suspect identified' - 63

• 'Status update unavailable' - 2

• 'Suspect charged as part of another case' - 1

• 'Unable to prosecute suspect' - 19

Why turn to shoplifting?

There are many reasons why someone would turn to shoplifting. Problems at home, fewer job opportunities and coming from a low income family all play a part in this offence.

Recently a man was jailed for stealing razor blades from Boots chemists while a woman stole champagne and razors from Asda.

Both of these suggest that shoplifting isn't reserved for essential items like food, water and clothing.

How does shoplifting affect local businesses?

The Argus spoke to four local business owners in Newport who, along with those who chose to remain anonymous, said they have all been affected by shoplifting.

Upper Dock Street junction in Newport (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Muhammad Iqbal, 48, of the Newport Post Office said they have had to tighten security and take steps to prevent shoplifting.

Mr Iqbal said: "Shoplifting has increased since COVID. People are taking two items. One they will pay for and the other is in their pocket. Or they are stealing both and if they get caught, they have the other one which is hidden."

"Or they are coming with two or three people to divert your attention," he added.

Sikander Siddique, 37, of an off-licence on Newport High Street said the shop owners have installed anti-theft technology, such as cameras around the store, to keep their stock from getting stolen.

One of the stores that suffer at the hands of shoplifters on a weekly basis (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Siddique said: "It's hard to get stolen items back from customers due to the laws around those under 18, so how can I grab the items from someone that is shoplifting?"

Imran Abbas, 42, said he and his uncle catch someone stealing from the shop on a weekly basis.

He added: "It is usually the youngsters, stealing bottles and cans of alcohol or sweets. Once, they have thrown eggs at us but the police can't do anything."

Johanna (56) and Andrew (58) Davies of Ace Flowers by Johanna, said the problem for them stems from anti-social behaviour in the bus station near the florists.

"There was a man who had been drinking all day in the bus station. He tried to take a rose plant and was approached by a member of staff, walked away and was spotted on camera. He literally ran back, grabbed three and just ran off."

Another store that suffers at the hands of shoplifters (Image: Newsquest)

The Davies said there used to be signs at the bus station which said "no drinking", but they claim these have been taken down.

Johanna Davies added: "Sometimes, there's 20 or 30 people in there all drinking and it's the same people time and time again. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon, they'll start fighting."

However the couple said that while their business is not considered 'essential', it is still targeted by shoplifters.

Mrs Davies said: "It's not an essential item like food is essential. But they're still taking flowers, plants or garden ornaments."

Ace Flowers by Johanna have also had to tighten security measures in the shop.

An interactive map of the shoplifting offences in Gwent has been created for February 2023 and February 2024, along with the outcomes of each case.

So what is being done about it?

Shops are now using CCTV footage, security guards, security tagging and working with the police to catch the offenders. 

Police have offered six tips for securing a shop as a business owner, while the Prime Minister recently launched an update to the Retail Crime Action Plan first announced in October 2023.

But should it start at the source and is education the key to preventing cases in shoplifting from rising even further?