“These figures raise important questions about what is driving persistent shoplifting behaviour and what support is available to people repeatedly caught in the cycle.”
He added: “Shoplifting can have a range of underlying causes, including financial hardship, substance misuse, gambling, mental health difficulties and other forms of compulsive or problematic behaviour. For some, shoplifting itself is the dopamine rush, and that is what they become addicted to.
“Simply treating each incident as an isolated crime risks overlooking the wider issues that may be contributing to repeated offending.”
The findings come as the Government prepares a major crackdown on shop theft under the new Crime and Policing Act.
The legislation, which received Royal Assent in April, will scrap the controversial £200 threshold which meant low-value shoplifting was generally treated as a summary offence.
It will also create a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, carrying up to six months in jail, and give courts powers which could see persistent offenders banned from shops.
But the key measures have not come into force and no date has yet been announced.
A government spokesperson said: “We are giving police the powers they need to crack down on shop theft, including scrapping the £200 rule which let too many offenders off the hook.”
“Shop theft is down on last year and charges are up 19 per cent. Police force funding this year is at a historic high of £18.5billion, and more than 3,800 additional neighbourhood officers are in role.”
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