Recorded crime tops seven million in England and Wales as fraud and robbery surge

Official statistics reveal that recorded crime in England and Wales reached 7,084,375 incidents, surpassing the seven-million mark for the first time since the turn of the century. The surge is largely attributed to a 41% increase in fraud reports, totalling 1.8 million, after the December launch of the Report Fraud service operated by the City of London Police. UK Finance contributed a 79% rise in fraud submissions to the new system.

While overall non-fraud offences fell by one percent to 5.2 million, robbery rose 10%, with business robberies jumping 67% to just over 31,000, the highest on record. The Association of Convenience Stores linked the robbery increase to a re-classification of certain thefts, and noted a 2% decline in shop-lifting. Industry leaders called for faster implementation of measures from the Crime and Policing Act to better protect retailers and staff.