Official data revealed on Wednesday that shoplifting offenses in England and Wales surged by 30 percent in the year ending March 2024, reaching a 20-year high. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that police recorded 443,995 shoplifting incidents over the year, a significant increase from 342,428 in the previous year. This trend of escalating shoplifting incidents has persisted since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Retailers argue that the actual situation is far graver, as many shoplifting cases, particularly in smaller establishments, go unreported to the police due to owners' skepticism about police response or prosecution. This issue of shop theft and violence against retail employees has been highlighted by major British retailers such as Tesco, John Lewis, and Primark, mirroring similar concerns in the United States and other regions. The British Retail Consortium, a lobby group, estimates that the industry loses nearly one billion pounds ($1.3 billion) annually due to theft. Usdaw, the retail workers' trade union, expressed profound concern over these figures. "This 30 percent rise in shoplifting underscores the growing epidemic of retail crime, which is deeply alarming," stated Paddy Lillis, the general secretary of Usdaw. The newly elected Labour government in Britain has committed to creating a specific offense for assaulting a retail worker.