Britain’s shoplifting crisis is being fuelled by illegal drug use, recovering addicts have reported.
Speaking to The Guardian, a number of convicted shoplifters explained that they primarily stole to fund their drug habit and only stopped thieving after conquering their drug use.
According to the British Retail Consortium, levels of retail crime remain “unacceptably high”. There were 5.5 million detected incidents of shop theft last year, with 1,600 daily incidents of violence and abuse against retail staff.
Connected
Keeley, who started using drugs at 13 years old, has been imprisoned 28 times for shoplifting. After being referred to a drug support service, the 44-year-old stopped stealing.
She remarked: “We’re crying that we’ve got a shoplifting crisis, and we’re crying that we’ve got a drug crisis, but no one’s doing anything about the two together”.
Rhys, who is now 18 months into recovery from crack cocaine, explained that his “priority was always getting the stuff to sell for drugs”, so even after “hours” of shoplifting, he “still wouldn’t have anything to eat”.
Crime
According to recent figures, the number of drug deaths registered in England and Wales remains stubbornly high.
The Office for National Statistics recorded 5,519 drug-related deaths in 2025, a slight fall from the previous year’s record of 5,565 poisonings, and the first annual drop in the mortality rate since 2012.
In separate data published in April, the ONS estimated that drug-related crimes are at the highest level in over a decade, with 230,783 taking place in 2025, up from 195,613 in 2024.
Watchdog chief: Drugs in prison are driving violence and reoffending