The North East is the region of England and Wales most affected by shoplifting crime, new stats from the Police Data site have shown. 

The region has also been shown to have some of the most deprived areas of the UK - with shoplifting rates linked to deprivation and poverty as the country is in the midst of a fierce cost of living crisis. 

Research from insurance company Money.co.uk lists the 25 local authorities with the highest number of shoplifting crimes per head per year.

The North East has been hardest hit by the rise in shoplifting out of a list of hotspots in England and Wales. Five North East local authorities appear in the top 25, drawn from three years of data.

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  • Hartlepool, with a population of 92,571 had 12.76 shoplifting crimes per 1,000 per annum. 
  • Middlesbrough, with a population of 143,734 had 10.91 shoplifting crimes per 1,000 per annum. 
  • Redcar and Cleveland, with a population of 136,616 had 10.55 shoplifting crimes per 1,000 per annum. 
  • Stockton, with a population of 197,030, has 9.62 shoplifting crimes per 1,000 per annum. 
  • Newcastle, with a population of 298,264 had 8.91 shoplifting crimes per 1,000 per annum. 

For Cleveland Police, all four local policing areas - Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland,  and Stockton - appear on the top 25 list of areas with the highest shoplifting rates per head. 

But the force warned that caution "should be applied when comparing forces against each other". 

Insurance expert Cameron Jaques said: "With the North East of England having the highest poverty rate of all the regions, and Middlesborough, Hartlepool and Newcastle upon Tyne being in the top 25 UK shoplifting hotspots, it’s safe to think there’s a correlation there.

“The cost of living crisis is affecting us all. With the cost of food and basic necessities continuing to rise, it’s not surprising that shoplifting is on the rise as well, as large segments of UK’s population struggle to afford essential everyday items."

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police, said: "Whilst shoplifting has increased in Cleveland, this is the same across the country and most likely a reflection of the impact of national social and economic changes.

"Cleveland is an area of significant social depravation with high crime levels similar to larger city forces such as Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Northumbria. Our smaller geographical area, with a lower population than these large city areas, shows a higher number of incidents per thousand of the population in comparison with these other forces, so some caution should be applied when comparing forces against each other.

"Cleveland’s charge and detection rate for shoplifting is above the national average, with 22.8% of reports ending in a charge to court. Whilst much work remains to be done in dealing with the issue of retail crime, those figures are testament to the work Cleveland Police Officers do to tackle the problem.

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"The force is proactive in its approach to preventing and reducing retail crime, and catching those who regularly steal from shops. Neighbourhood teams work closely with retailers, encouraging them to report crime when it happens, offering crime prevention advice, and ensuring that we have a clear picture of what is happening through the offer of retail crime forums.

"Efforts are also made to arrest the top five shoplifters each week, and officers regularly carry out problem-solving work to prevent reoffending by making applications for Criminal Behaviour Orders. The Neighbourhood Teams take part in regular weeks of action to target retail crime, with a visible policing presence in shopping centres and engagement activity with both retailers and shoppers.

"All reports of shoplifting reported to Cleveland Police are recorded so that our statistics provide a full and frank picture of the scale of the problem across the force area. Where there are solvability factors such as a named suspect, CCTV evidence, witnesses or other reasonable lines of enquiry, then the report will be investigated."