Shoplifting is on the rise in Sunderland

The city has been ranked 59th in a list of worst areas in the country for the crime – with almost six offences a day reported to police.

According to new figures, a total of 2,216 crimes were logged of thieves stealing from stores in the area between January and December last year.

This is up from 1,915 the previous year, with areas targeted including shops in Vine Place in Sunderland city centre, Tesco Extra on Newcastle Road, and The Bridges shopping centre.

The study was carried by LoveMyVouchers.co.uk using official police data and covers 346 areas.

The figures rank the city 59th worst in England and Wales when the number of shoplifting crimes are compared to the population.

Linda Firth, from LoveMyVouchers.co.uk, said, “Shoplifting doesn’t just affect the retailers, it also affects consumers as the losses are typically recouped through higher retail prices.

“With such a high portion of the population already struggling to make ends meet, the effect of increasing retail prices to account for the costs of shoplifting could have a significant impact on budgets.”

Overall, the total number of shoplifting incidents in 2016 was up 7.6% from the previous year, with the recorded figure for the period standing at 362,499.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “We work closely with security staff to offer advice and help prevent any offences. “

“In Sunderland there is a successful Shopwatch scheme that sees retailers and security staff work closely with police.”