The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called for greater focus on targeted interventions for persistent offenders after new figures for England showed significant reductions in offending among people accessing treatment.
The latest impact of drug and alcohol on repeat offending report, published by the Department of Health and Social Care today (9 July), found that 35% of people in England entering treatment had received at least one recorded caution or conviction in the two years before starting treatment. The figures showed a substantial reduction in offending after treatment, with 44% fewer people committing offences and the overall number of offences falling by a third.
The report also showed a link between substance dependency and offending. People in treatment for opioids and crack cocaine were the most likely to have offended in the year before treatment and committed the highest average number of offences per offender.
ACS chief executive Ed Woodall said: “Retailers report that addiction problems are a significant motivating factor for many of the offenders that steal from their stores. These figures demonstrate that there should not be a one size fits all approach to shop theft interventions, and that targeted measures including treatment and rehabilitation can make a positive difference to reoffending rates.”
Findings from the 2026 ACS Crime Report illustrate that addiction, opportunity and organised criminality are the top three motivations for repeat offending. Overall, there were 5.8million incidents of theft committed against convenience stores over the last year.
