Thousands of shoplifting cases linked to 40 suspects
EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockJust 40 prolific shoplifting suspects were linked to at least 5,000 offences in north-east England and Cumbria over the past five years.
Figures obtained by the BBC's Data Unit also found shoplifting offences rose by more than three-quarters over the past decade, with Cleveland seeing the biggest yearly percentage rise across England and Wales between 2025-26.
While in Cumbria last year most of the top suspects ended up being summoned to court or charged, more than half of cases in the Northumbria and Cleveland force areas were completed with no suspect found.
The Home Office said retail crime had been dismissed as low-level offending "for too long" and charges were up nationally by 19%.
Home Office figures from police forces in the North East and Cumbria show there were more than 37,000 shoplifting cases in the region in 2025-2026, compared with 21,000 in 2014-5.
That number is still dwarfed by London, where the Metropolitan Police recorded 90,000 offences in the same period.
The Cleveland Police area recorded 9,568 shoplifting offences between 2025-26, an increase of nearly 15% on 8,326 the previous year - the biggest yearly percentage increase in shoplifting across England and Wales.
The rate of shoplifting offences in Cleveland is 15.9 incidents per 1,000 people -nearly double the national average of 8.1.
Police UK data shows Hartlepool alone recorded 24.7 incidents per 1,000 people, with two streets in the town, Walpole Road and Murray Street, accounting for 20% of incidents.
In Stockton about a quarter of shoplifting happened in two areas, Redhill Road and Charles Street in Thornaby.
Cleveland Police said it had brought in technology to allow retailers to report thefts to them online.
Northumbria Police recorded just under 18,000 shoplifting offences in 2025-26 - an increase of nearly 90% on the annual figure a decade ago.
There is somewhat better news in parts of Cumbria, where Westmorland and Furness has a shoplifting rate of 4.4.
Usual suspects
As well as being concentrated in particular areas, a lot of shoplifting is committed by a small group of suspects carrying out a large number of crimes, figures show.
A Freedom of Information request by the BBC Data unit asked local police forces information on the 10 most prolific shoplifting suspects in their areas between 2020-21 and 2025-26.
It found 40 shoplifting suspects were linked to at least 5,000 offences between them in the North East and Cumbria over the past five years.
Northumbria only provided figures between 2021-22 and 2025-26 and its top 10 shoplifting suspects were linked to 1,776 offences between them, with two people linked to more than 200 offences each.
In the Cleveland area, one suspect was linked to 224 offences, while in County Durham a single individual was linked to 147 offences.
In Cumbria the top 10 suspects were linked to 417 offences but virtually all of those people (98%) ended being charged or summoned to court.
Tackling the problem
But across the region there is a rather different picture as the statistics suggest reporting the crime does not necessarily mean anyone will face justice.
In about half of shoplifting cases between 2025-26 in the Northumbria and Cleveland police force areas (52% and 50% respectively), investigations were completed with no suspect found.
In Northumbria three-quarters of shoplifting cases (75%) did not end up with charges or court summons - while 10 years ago 60% of cases ended up in court.
Newcastle business improvement district company NE1 said a survey of its business members four years ago showed 90% said they would not report shoplifting because reporting was too time-consuming and they felt no action would be taken.
In response, it formed a partnership between businesses, police and Newcastle City Council to share intelligence and respond quickly to incidents, which it said helped identify crime patterns, hotspots and repeat offenders.
British Retail Consortium spokesperson Tom Holder said its surveys suggested the recorded shoplifting crimes were a fraction of what shops faced.
"As we see more action from the police, we see the reporting go back up," he said.
EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockCleveland Police's Ch Insp Jamie Bell, the force lead for retail crime, said where possible it asked courts to ban offenders from entering stores which, if breached, would result in a custodial sentence.
"We have recently implemented a new process that allows retailers to use technology to report crime and provide evidence to us online," he said.
Northumbria Police said it also had a tool which allowed businesses to submit a report around shoplifting, which meant the force did not need to arrest or interview offenders if there was good CCTV and instead a summons was sent to the suspect to appear before court.
Cumbria Police said it believed some shoplifting went unreported so encouraged shops to contact the force over any thefts.
"One of the best ways we can tackle offences like this is through receiving timely information from those working in shops and from members of the public who see anything suspicious as soon as possible."
Durham Police has been approached for comment.
