New analysis of Home Office data by Axon, the global public safety technology leader, reveals that 54.8% of all shoplifting cases last year were closed with no suspect able to be identified. A further 7.2% of cases were dropped due to ‘evidential difficulties’, where a suspect may be known but evidence is too weak to proceed.
This comes as recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales have risen by almost 90% since 2022, from 228,114 to 519,381, placing the police and criminal justice system under mounting pressure to process an ever-growing caseload.
The rise in shoplifting offences has led to the median time taken to assign any outcome to a shoplifting case nearly doubling in the last three years, increasing from six days in 2023 to nine days in 2025.
Retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Primark have already begun equipping frontline staff with body-worn cameras in response to the increase in retail crime. A study by Professor Emeritus Adrian Beck, supported by Axon, shows stock losses amongst retailers were reduced by as much as 7% when staff wore body-worn cameras at least 80% of the time. Not only does the use of body-worn cameras provide clear, attributable, and court-ready footage, but research shows that 75% of staff feel safer when wearing one.
Axon is a trusted provider of body-worn cameras in public safety across the UK, and is introducing a new body-worn camera purpose-built for frontline staff in sectors like retail later this year, bringing real-time situational awareness, digital evidence management, and AI-powered capabilities to the retail sector. Together, these technologies help retailers capture higher-quality footage, organise and store it securely, and produce more complete incident records, providing police and the Crown Prosecution Service with the material they need to investigate crime.
Alex Lowe, UK and Ireland regional director at Axon, said: “The data tells a clear and troubling story: shoplifting is rising, and more than half of cases still collapse because there is simply not enough usable evidence. Body-worn cameras close this evidence gap, helping to reduce retail crime and protect staff. That’s why we’re excited to bring our new technology to UK retailers this year.”
Lucy Whing, crime policy advisor at the BRC, said: “Retailers have invested over £5bn in the last five years to tackle retail crime. This includes body-worn cameras, security tags, and other innovative technologies aimed at both preventing crime and gathering crucial evidence to prosecute those that perpetrate it. Ultimately, we are all victims of retail crime, which pushes up the price of goods for honest shoppers.”
