Shoplifting at four year high

UK shoplifting is at a four year high, according to the latest figures. The problem is especially severe in the Midlands,

where a 20 percent rise in retail theft rose tp 15,800 cases.

Theft in stores across the UK rose to 6 percent last year to 315,000.

In London, theft figures dipped 1 percent but shoplifting was also on the rise in the rest of the South. The number of incidents increased 15 percent in Dorset and 14 percent in Essex. Smaller increases were seen in Wiltshire and Surrey.

Police and charities say the rise is linked to the government’s austerity measures and that this is supported by the increases recorded in the North.

The British Retail Consortium said the average value of customer theft jumped 62 percent to 177 pounds per incident in 2013 as a result of sophisticated gangs targeting particular goods.