Westminster in central London has been identified as the UK’s leading hotspot for shoplifting, recording 25.26 incidents per 1,000 residents over a 12-month period, nearly four times the national average.
The findings come from new research by Avigilon, a commercial security systems provider under Motorola Solutions, which analysed data from the Office for National Statistics on shoplifting offences across the UK. The study looked at total recorded incidents by area, the proportion of shoplifting relative to all crime, and rates scaled per 1,000 population to identify the most vulnerable locations among 290 areas.
Westminster reported 5,305 shoplifting offences during the period studied. While this represented only 5.6% of all recorded crime in the borough, it averaged more than 14 incidents per day.
Worthing in West Sussex ranked second with a rate of 22.80 incidents per 1,000 residents, recording 2,596 offences. Shoplifting accounted for 25.0% of all crime in the area, one of the highest proportions nationally.
Neighbouring Adur placed third with 21.19 incidents per 1,000 residents and 1,375 offences, where shoplifting made up 28.4% of all reported crime, the highest share across all locations examined.
Eastbourne in East Sussex ranked fifth with 20.62 incidents per 1,000 residents and 2,150 offences.
Lincoln in the East Midlands ranked fourth with 20.96 incidents per 1,000 residents and 2,203 offences. Mansfield ranked sixth with 20.49 per 1,000 residents and 2,318 offences, and Nottingham placed eighth with 16.87 per 1,000 residents and 5,586 incidents.
Hartlepool in the North East was the highest-ranked northern location, placing seventh with 19.46 incidents per 1,000 residents and 1,911 offences. Cambridge ranked ninth with 16.21 per 1,000 residents and 2,421 incidents, and Crawley placed tenth with 16.02 per 1,000 residents and 1,986 offences.
Cardiff emerged as the highest-ranked Welsh city, placing 11th with 14.55 incidents per 1,000 residents and 5,585 offences, representing 14.0% of all crime in the city.
Other areas in the top 20 included Norwich, Ashfield, Kensington and Chelsea, Doncaster, Brighton and Hove, Southampton, Blackpool, Gloucester, and Newport.
The research highlights regional differences in shoplifting vulnerability. South East England dominates the upper rankings, while parts of the East Midlands and select northern and Welsh locations also feature prominently.
Will Macdonald, director of product management for Avigilon at Motorola Solutions, said: “The figures highlight how shoplifting affects different areas across the UK, with higher levels of shoplifting seen in the South relative to population size. For retailers in the high-risk areas listed, investing in robust security measures like high-definition video and analytics can make a significant difference. Modern security systems can help identify potential incidents before they occur and provide valuable evidence when they do. To help combat this increased risk, focusing security resources on known high-risk periods and product areas is particularly important during busy shopping periods.”
The study aligns with broader trends in UK retail crime, where the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown shoplifting reaching record highs in recent years. Factors include economic pressures and organised theft, leaving retailers in affected areas to continue facing challenges in protecting stock and staff.