'Shoplifters are a problem, but we don't always arrest them'

PC Lewis Rogers and Sgt Jessy Sorrell were on the hunt for shoplifters while on patrol in Ipswich town centre [Wayne Bavin/BBC] Shoplifters are "not always arrested", despite the county experiencing a record number of shoplifting offences in the last year, Suffolk Police officers said.

Data gathered by the BBC shows there were 4,322 reports of shoplifting in the county in 2025/26 – an 11.8% increase when compared to the 3,865 recorded the year before.

Just over half (51%) of the investigations in 2025/26 were closed by Suffolk Police without a suspect being found, a slight improvement on the 54% from the previous year.

PC Lewis Rogers said shoplifting was a "massive problem", and every report was investigated, but disclosed that if officers can avoid arresting offenders, then they will.