Is Shoplifting Becoming More Common In Boston?
Is shoplifting becoming more common in Boston? That’s what the data says and retailers think they know why it’s so high.
Shoplifting is a very common crime and has been for a while. However, is it becoming even more popular? New data says that shoplifting is becoming more common in Boston but could it just be because how we’re measuring the data?
Data Says Shoplifting Becoming More Common In Boston
Is shoplifting becoming more common in Boston, Massachusetts, or is something else happening? Are more people just getting caught doing it? Are there more ways than ever to shoplift? According to Boston.com, Boston saw a 55% increase in shoplifting reports between the first half of 2019 and that same period in 2024. Now, many people are left trying to figure out how this is happening.
Boston.com reports that nine suspects were arrested by the Boston Police Department at the end of September as a part of a Safe Shopping Task Force initiative. The initiative was started at the beginning of 2024 and involves police, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, and retail partners. Its goal to to hold shoplifters accountable after hearing about the rise in complaints and thefts in the city of Boston. It’s something retailers, employees, and the community should be concerned about.
According to Boston.com, most of the shoplifting in Boston is happening in the city’s major retail destinations like Downtown Crossing, South Bay shopping center in Dorchester, Newbury Street, and the Prudential and Copley malls. While some believe that there actually is more shoplifting occurring throughout the city, others believe that it could be due to increased reporting or detection rather than more offenses. That would be much better! That means more people are being caught, and we have more ways to catch them rather than more people out there shoplifting. There are new security measures in place, like locking up goods and limiting self-checkout. Additionally, there have been law changes that raised the threshold for larceny from $250 to $1,200, and anything below that is considered shoplifting, so now there’s a bigger gap of what’s included as shoplifting, and that could be added to the data as well.
It sounds like now employees at retail locations like TJ Maxx are getting trained on how to be aware of what’s going on and are working to support a safe store environment by including policies, training, and procedures and technology, per Boston.com. That should help. You can see more about this data at Boston.com.
