West Midlands shoplifting on the agenda after thefts rise by more than 34 per cent in a year
Shop thefts across the West Midlands have surged by more than 34 per cent, data has revealed.
A report on neighbourhood policing, to be presented to the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel next month, showed 32,703 shop theft offences had been reported in 2024/25 – 34.5 per cent increase on the previous year.
The total number of business crime offences also rose to 58,404 – an 8.4 per cent rise on 2023/24.
But there was better news regarding neighbourhood crimes such as vehicle offences, burglaries and robberies with 48,938 offences recorded in 2024/25 – a drop of 17.5 per cent.
West Midlands Police (WMP) and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster will present the report to members of the panel, which meets on Monday, September 8.
As well as discussing performance, the report will set out the neighbourhood policing guarantee and plans to rebuild community policing in the region.
The report said: “Across 2024/25, WMP recorded a total of 48,938 neighbourhood crimes, marking a 17.3 per cent reduction, compared to the previous year.
“These decreases were observed across all Local Policing Areas (LPAs), with the most significant reductions seen in Coventry at 24.1 per cent, Walsall at 23.1 per cent, and Solihull at 22.6 per cent.
“When examining individual crime types, the downward trends are equally encouraging. Vehicle offences declined by 13.9 per cent (29,229), residential burglary by 20.6 per cent (11,249), personal robbery by 21.9 per cent (5,805), and theft from the person by 26.4 per cent (2,608).
“These figures reflect ongoing successes, in reducing crimes that impact daily life and public confidence in local communities.
“In contrast, business crime increased during the same period. A total of 58,404 offences were recorded in 2024/25, representing an 8.4 per cent rise.
“Despite this increase in volume, the overall harm score associated with business crime fell by 18.2 per cent, largely due to a higher proportion of recorded offences being shop theft crimes, which have lower harm scores.
“One of the main contributors to the rise in business crime, is the national surge in shop theft.
“In the West Midlands, shop theft offences rose by 34.5 %, with 32,703 incidents recorded over the year.
“Most LPAs experienced increases, with Walsall reporting the highest rise at 64.7 per cent. Sandwell was an exception, where shop theft levels remained relatively stable, showing a slight decrease of 2.9 per cent.”
