Shoplifting in London has soared by 50 per cent in a year – more than twice the national average increase.
Latest crime statistics show 80,041 shoplifting offences were recorded by the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police in the 12 months to last September – up from 53,202 for the same period a year earlier.
Across England and Wales there was a 22.5 per cent increase in shoplifting, from 402,482 cases to 492,914.
The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, highlight growing concerns from retailers that retail crime is “spiralling out of control”.
The British Retail Consortium annual crime survey, also published on Thursday, found there were more than 2,000 crimes a day affecting shopkeepers and retailers.
It said that incidents including racial and sexual abuse, physical assault and threats with weapons had reached three times the level they were in 2020.
In London, the number of reported shoplifting offences in the 32 boroughs policed by the Met increased from 52,436 to 78,512, the ONS said.
Offences recorded taking place within the City of London police’s Square Mile financial district doubled from 766 offences to 1,529.
Total recorded crime also rose across London, from 914,981 offences to 952,364 offences.
Within this, robbery was up from 32,325 offences to 35,543, and theft was up from 434,547 offences to 477,020.
But homicides in the capital were down from 117 to 110 for the 12-month period, and violence against the person and stalking and harassment reports both fell by more than 4,000 cases, to 244,037 and 57,204 cases respectively.
Residential burglary fell by more than 2,000 cases to 35,925, while possession of offensive weapons fell from 6,290 cases to 5,247.
The figures have emerged as Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley fears having to cut hundreds of officers - and to cut the size of the Met’s dogs unit - to balance his budget, despite London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan hiking his share of council tax to generate £54m for the force.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: "Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes.
"Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive. With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse.
"Retailers are spending more than ever before, but they cannot prevent crime alone. We need the police to respond to and handle every reported incident appropriately.
"We look forward to seeing crucial legislation to protect retail workers being put in place later this year. Only if the industry, Government and police work together, can we finally see this awful trend reverse."
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "The rising levels of shop theft and violence against retail staff are utterly unacceptable.
"We will not stand for this. That is why this Government has made clear we will introduce a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and end the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods under £200.
