Shoplifting is increasing dramatically

Shoplifting crimes rose as much as 24 percent in 2021, compared to 2020. Looking at data from previous years, there is a significant increase in theft trends (from 2019 to 2021, the increase in recorded thefts increased by nearly 44%).

Most thefts were reported in the Mazowieckie province – over 19% of all in the country. The least number of them was in Podlaskie. 4 out of 5 of these situations occurred at big-box establishments. According to the Police Department, there were 24,995 shoplifting crimes in 2021. That’s up from 20,103 in 2020. There was also an increase last year relative to 2019. At that time there were 17,386 such incidents.

Police statistics show that in 2021, the highest number of shoplifting crimes was found in the Mazowieckie province – 4,807. Further down the list were Lower Silesia (4,102), Silesia (3,178), Pomerania (1,797) and Kujawsko-Pomorskie (1,691). On the other hand, the fewest such incidents were reported in Podlaskie (330), Świętokrzyskie (411) and Opolskie (426). In addition, in fifteen provinces, the number of theft crimes in 2021 was higher than in 2019. The exception is Podlaskie, which saw a decrease last year compared to both 2020 (417) and 2019 (489).

In addition, police data shows that 186,312 shoplifting offenses were found in 2021. The year before, 175,597 were recorded. Looking at the data in more detail, it’s clear that these incidents mainly occurred in big-box stores. In 2020, 144,390 were reported there, and in 2021, 150,654.

As Grzegorz Wojtasik points out, retail outlets are trying to optimize costs. Easiest to cut back on services that are not directly related to business. Some entities are cutting back on security, which also affects police statistics.