Criminal gangs are gearing up to carry out industrial-scale thefts in UK high streets and transport hubs this Christmas, shoppers have been warned.

While serious violence has been on a downward trend for several years, retail crime is booming, with the latest figures showing 530,000 shoplifting offences in the year ending March 2025.

That is the equivalent of one offence every minute and a 20 per cent rise on the previous year. New Feature

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Theft from persons, which includes criminals snatching phones, is also at its highest level since records began in 2003.

Shoppers and travellers using busy high streets and transport hubs during the Christmas period have been urged to stay vigilant as organised gangs look to capitalise on the extra

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