The dramatic increase in shoplifting offences in Oxfordshire has been linked to the rise in the cost of living. 

There has been a 98 per cent increase in charges for shoplifting offences across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes over the last year.

From April 1, 2023, to October 13, 2023, there were 852 charges, which rose to 1691 charges from April 1 this year to October 13.

Laurence Guinness, head anti-poverty charity the Childhood Trust, said the high cost of living and families "on the breadline" had resulted in increased shoplifting offences.

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"Money is not stretching far enough to meet the needs of the households," he said.

"If you've only got £15 a week to feed yourself and your family, you might put a packet of chicken breasts in your bag and [think] if you get caught you'll probably be OK.

"I'm not endorsing it, but I understand it and I think hunger is a very strong motivator of people taking things they just don't have the money for."

Thames Valley police and crime commissioner, Matthew Barber, welcomed the news, describing it as "real progress".

He said: "I'm pleased to see real progress in tackling shoplifting with an increase of over 90 per cent in charges for shoplifting offences across the Thames Valley."

The increase is a result of the Retail Crime Strategy, introduced at the start of the year, Mr Barber said.

The strategy aimed to tackle shoplifting, retail crime, and violence towards shop workers.

It included the creation of a Business Crime Team within the force to identify prolific offenders and improve investigations.

Matthew Barber  (Image: Natalie Jezzard) Mr Barber said: "Combined with an increase in the visible presence of police officers and police community support officers in retail spaces through Operation Purchase, this operational focus on retail crime is clearly paying dividends.

“However, as with all crime, enforcement forms only one part of the response.

"A core part of my Retail Crime Strategy was to make reporting shoplifting offences easier and more efficient for retailers."

To facilitate this, Mr Barber funded the rollout of Disc, an information-sharing and reporting platform.

The app, which is now available free of charge to businesses in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Milton Keynes, allows retailers to report and access information about crime such as shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

More than 500 premises across the Thames Valley have already signed up.

Mr Barber said: "This is an excellent start but the more retailers that use the platform and feed in vital intelligence, the better the policing response will be."

The Oxford Mail has reached to a number of charities across the county who did not wish to comment.