A town councillor has called for shoplifting to be treated more seriously after new figures revealed offences in Ipswich have risen by more than a fifth in a decade.
Shoplifting increased from 1,503 recorded offences in 2015 to 1,831 in 2025, a rise of 328 incidents, or around 22 per cent.
Councillor David Plowman, who spent decades working in retail, said the increase was “worrying” and called for a concerted effort from shops and the authorities to tackle the problem.
He said: “As someone who worked in retail for decades it is worrying that shoplifting is increasing.
“I recently witnessed shoplifting in my local Co-op and also spoke to a small shop owner who thought the authorities ignored his report of shoplifting.”
Mr Plowman said there was no single explanation for the problem, pointing to staffing levels, shop design, offenders not being challenged and poverty and the cost-of-living crisis among the possible factors.
He added that shoplifters had become “more brazen and aggressive” and claimed incidents were not always dealt with by the authorities.
“There is no easy answer,” he said. “It takes a concerted effort by all.
“First of all take it seriously, design and staff shops that deter shoplifters, and to the authorities, take every incident as a serious offence.
“And to shoplifters, stop it, you are hurting local businesses.”
The figures form part of a wider comparison of recorded crime in Ipswich between 2015 and 2025.
Despite the rise in shoplifting, overall recorded incidents fell from 18,084 to 13,412, a drop of around 26 per cent.
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Suffolk Constabulary said it continued to work with retailers and partner agencies to tackle retail crime and support businesses across the town centre.
A spokesperson said: “Our approach combines robust enforcement with long-term prevention.
“We continue to make use of a range of measures to address persistent offending, including Community Protection Notices, Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs), and powers available through anti-social behaviour legislation.”
The force said intelligence was used to identify prolific offenders and determine where and when resources should be deployed.
It added: “Through a combination of targeted operations, proactive patrols, investigations, and partnership working, we are focused on disrupting offenders, bringing them before the courts, and reducing the impact of retail crime.”
Police also encouraged businesses to report incidents promptly, saying close working between retailers, local authorities and community safety partners was vital to creating a safer town centre.
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