'More than £25,000 of groceries shoplifted in 2021'

Retailers Against Crime (RAC) has reported that more than £500,000 of stock, including £25,000 in groceries, was stolen from its members in 2021, according to its latest UK-wide data.

According to RAC, clothing was the most stolen item with almost £36,000 of goods taken. More than £27,000 of computer equipment and £25,000 in groceries were also shoplifted.

The RAC’s statistics show the first four months of 2022 also compare unfavourably to last year with every month (January to April) seeing a rise in reported incidents.

The RAC data is collated and submitted by its thousands of members, allowing the organisation to issue alerts and track trends across the UK. This nationwide co-operation allows intelligence to be gathered on organised, and often travelling, criminal gangs which target stores on a daily basis.

Looking at last month’s tally, April saw a total of 889 incidents reports with 78 unknown suspects identified. There were a further 216 alerts issued across the network.

The number of reported incidents was slightly slower than March, which stood at 900, but the value of goods stolen increased from circa £122,000 to £129,000 in April, with approximately a third of those goods recovered.

The RAC, a national not for profit partnership, helps to detect and deter crime by sharing information on local and travelling offenders across its members.