Shoplifting on the rise.

Shoplifting incidents have surged by 22% in 2023-24, as highlighted by the British Retail Consortium. Retailers like Tesco are experiencing increased theft, with a shift manager noting more brazen acts, including thieves stealing high-value items. Amid the cost of living crisis, individuals like George, a shoplifter struggling to make ends meet, express that they resort to theft out of necessity, stating, “hunger is hunger.”