SHOPLIFTING offences in Newton Abbot have increased significantly over the past three years, according to figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request submitted to Devon and Cornwall Police.

The Newton Abbot sector recorded 246 shoplifting offences in 2023, falling slightly to 237 in 2024, before rising to 285 in 2025 — an increase of almost 20 per cent compared with 2023.

The figures also show 225 offences were recorded in the Coastal & Rural Teignbridge sector in 2025, compared with 178 in 2023.

Across Devon and Cornwall, recorded shoplifting offences rose from 7,679 in 2023 to 10,580 in 2025.

The figures use the police’s ‘Principal Crime Rule’, meaning only incidents where shoplifting was the main offence are included; the true figure, therefore, could be different.