Latest news with #MiddleSuperOutputAreas
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
New map shows UK streets hit hardest by 'Kamikaze' shoplifting
As 'Kamikaze' shoplifting sweeps Britain, a new crime map has revealed the high streets most plagued by the retail theft 'epidemic' - use our interactive map to see how it compares where you live 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.
Wales Online
18-05-2025
- Wales Online
We mapped the areas of Wales with the most car crime - see how where you live compares
We mapped the areas of Wales with the most car crime - see how where you live compares You can put your postcode into our interactive map and see vehicle crime figures for where you live in Wales A new map has revealed the locations where you are most likely to fall victim to car crime (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) A new map has revealed the riskiest parking locations in Wales - and you can use it to check your postcode see how where you live compares. Using hyperlocal crime data, we've mapped the locations where cars, vans and motorbikes are most likely to be stolen, broken into, damaged, or vandalised. Last year, police recorded more than 11,000 cases of vehicle crime in neighbourhood areas across Wales, which includes theft from or of a vehicle, or any attempt to interfere with it. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Crime figures show that, unsurprisingly, cars and other vehicles were normally most at risk of being stolen, broken into, or damaged in busy city centres, airports, or other locations with plenty of long-stay parking. In Wales, the Cathays South & Bute Park neighbourhood in Cardiff had more vehicle crime than anywhere else, with 287 crime reports. That's the equivalent of one car, van, or bike being stolen, broken into, damaged or tampered with every 31 hours. Article continues below That was followed by Adamsdown in Cardiff (254 crimes), and the Pontcanna district in Cardiff (242). Outside Cardiff, vehicle crime was highest in Victoria & Somerton in Newport (153 crime reports), and Central Swansea (135). Our map shows that residents of fashionable Pontcanna, the mainly residential area of Cardiff known for its green spaces, probably have more reason to fear for vehicles parked at home than people living anywhere else. Taking the population size into account, there was a rate of 38 crimes for every 1,000 residents in Pontcanna, home to the Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground and the Sports Wales National Centre. That's the equivalent of one in every 26 people living in Pontcanna suffering from some form of vehicle crime in the last year alone. You can see how your area compares using our interactive map below: The maximum jail sentence for vehicle theft is seven years' imprisonment. However, the maximum sentence for the lesser offence of taking a vehicle without consent is six months. For the crime of vehicle interference, culprits could be jailed for up to three months. 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. Crime figures are available for 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. Article continues below
