MORE people are stealing food from Oxford’s shops despite shoplifting levels plummeting by almost a third, figures show.

Food remains the top target for thieves and some point to this being an indicator that families are struggle to make ends meet.

In 2014, 45 per cent of all reported shoplifting cases – or 524 thefts – were people stealing foodstuffs, up 13 percentage points from the year before.

PC Mike Ellis, antisocial behaviour officer for Oxford, said motivation behind thefts should be treated on a case-by-case basis.

He said there are several factors that could push people to steal food: “We used to find that people with drug addiction steal meat, like big legs of lamb and so on, because they could exchange it for drugs.

“But it might be that there are some people who can’t afford food and are stealing it, or that they can’t afford food because they are spending their money on other things like drugs or alcohol.”

Statistics obtained by the Oxford Mail under the Freedom of Information Act showed there were 1,166 accounts of shoplifting in Oxford last year, a 32 per cent drop from 1,728 reports in 2013.

After food, alcohol came second as the most popular target last year, counting for 15 per cent of thefts, with 179 incidents.

Oxford Food Bank co-founder Robin Aitken said: “It’s certainly an indication of the difficulty some people are experiencing.

“Having to steal food is clearly an indication that people are finding it harder to make ends meet.

“But whatever circumstances you’re in stealing is still dishonest and a crime. It’s not excusable.”

Police only recorded the value of stolen goods for 58 per cent of thefts, but it came in at more than £54,500. Food and alcohol alone came to more than £14,500.

Oxford East’s Labour prospective parliamentary candidate Andrew Smith said: “It is a worrying sign of the times for the proportion of shoplifted items which is food to be so sharply up, when shoplifting overall is thankfully significantly down.

“Any crime is wrong, but it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that some of this reflects the acute pressure some low income families and individuals are under.”

Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon Nicola Blackwood said: “It is good news for local businesses that shoplifting has fallen by a third in Oxford but, of course, concerning that shoplifting of foodstuffs continues.

“Thankfully, food prices have been falling over recent months, with fresh food prices at the lowest level on record.”