In January 2020, West Midlands Police recorded 182 instances of shoplifting taking place in Birmingham, an increase on 130 recorded shoplifting crimes the previous month. While it might seem surprising that more shoplifting didn’t occur in December – when so many of us are stressed by the upcoming Christmas expenditures – these figures perhaps indicate that many people begin to feel the pinch more in January, after the Christmas spending period is over.
As one might guess, most shoplifting crimes in Birmingham take place in the city centre, in the streets around the train station, home to many high street shops. In January, 89% of shoplifting crimes in Birmingham city took place in this central area, with just 20 total cases taking place further afield; most of these outliers happened on Livery Street and Colmore Row, near Birmingham Snow Hill train station.
