Stockport and Greater Manchester have seen a 50 percent increase in shoplifting arrests in the past year, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has announced.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were 3,631 shoplifting arrests across the Greater Manchester region, up from 2,400 the year prior.

GMP said the increase was due to local police officers working closely with local shops and businesses, and heightened police patrols.

Of the thousands of arrests in the past 12 months, 1,938 were charged and remanded, and a further 957 were charged and bailed.

GMP also said there was an upsurge in solved incidents - a 59 percent increase compared to the preceding 12 month period.

The number of shoplifting incidents that have been solved has increased by almost 60 percent (Image - GMP)

Police methods in tackling shoplifting include regular patrols (both high-visibility and covert), as well as the deployment of specialist teams such as sniffer dogs.

This includes 'days of action', such as Operation Rimini in Stockport - this operation targets crime in the town centre and surrounding areas with a bolstered police presence.

Officers are also able to use search warrants once they have amassed enough evidence against offenders.

They have also been working closely with the local community and businesses.

Police have been deployed to Stockport town centre numerous times throughout the past 12 months as part of Operation Rimini (Image - GMP)

"The increases across the board are down to the determined efforts of local neighbourhood teams", a GMP spokesperson said.

"They work closely with stores, partners, and local authorities to provide the best possible service to businesses who are the victims of theft and other criminality."

Superintendent Cara Charlesworth, Force Lead for Retail Crime, added: "Our improvements over the last couple of years are down to the dedicated efforts of local neighbourhood teams, who work closely with businesses to identify issues that they are facing and provide bespoke advice and plans.

"While we make hundreds of arrests, we do work closely with partners to better understand why people are committing these crimes, and to that end, we regularly provide support to vulnerable people, ensuring they get the advice they need depending on their unique situation."

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