Shopkeepers take the law into their own hands in war against shoplifting epidemic

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Britain is facing a shoplifting epidemic, say frustrated shopkeepers stuck in a “losing battle” as new figures revealed the number of thefts rose by 25 per cent from last year.

Traders say they are seeing their highest-ever levels of shop thefts as brazen and aggressive offenders target stores in a wave of retail crime sweeping across the country.

And they have told The Independent that calling police is “a waste of time” as they take the law into their own hands, sometimes putting themselves at risk of violence.

Recent incidents have shown the dangers with a worker at Holland and Barrett in central London sprayed with a “burning substance” on challenging a shoplifter, and a thief lunging a knife at Tesco staff in Bristol.

There were some 365,164 shoplifting offences reported to police in England and Wales in the year to June - up 25 per cent on the previous 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Many have blamed the cost of living crisis, but others, including The John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White, claimed it is being driven by “crime groups”.

Offenders are becoming increasingly “emboldened” and appear to be often led by criminal gangs, said the British Independent Retailers Association, which revealed retailers £953m in 2022.

According to the ONS data, London saw the highest number of shop thefts, 47,153, up 1 per cent from the year before. Second was West Yorkshire, followed by West Midlands, where the number increased by 26 per cent to 19,172, with Birmingham the region’s hotspot.

In Birmingham, shopkeepers say they are dealing with up to 10 shoplifting incidents a day, with offenders ranging from organised criminals to children as young as 10. And they say local police appear helpless.

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In one area of the city, a pharmacy worker has even put up a “wall of shame” of suspected shoplifters at his store. Whasuf Farooq, who also runs a DIY shop, says it is now down to businesses to protect themselves.

“It’s a big problem for all shops, and it’s getting worse - it’s become an epidemic,” Mr Farooq said. “People are stealing such small things, it’s become a habit for them and they can’t stop themselves.”

At the huge Poundland store in the city centre, a security guard is employed to stop shoplifters, but that does not stop offenders, says sales assistant Kelvin Blake.

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“You get all sorts trying it; homeless people, people in suits and even children - and once they get out the entrance door they know they are free because we’re not chasing them outside,” he said.

“What we need is a stronger deterrent. I see people caught and handed to the police one day, then the next they are back here again trying to steal again.”

Close to Bullring shopping centre, the manager of shop MS Cosmetics, Mohammed Abrar, says he catches several shoplifters each day, with many teenagers targeting small-value items like lip balm.

He said: “I stop them at the door and say ‘I saw you put that in your pockets, give it back’. They usually do, or they deny it and try to get away. That’s when we call shopping centre security - we don’t bother calling police.”

He added: “Of course it hurts us, we don’t catch everyone and if five people get away with £3 worth of items, that’s £30 a day. We need harsher penalties for young people caught, and we also need to look at parenting.

“It’s getting worse, for sure. It’s a losing battle for us.”

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It’s the same situation at Beauty Central where manager Junaid Ahmed has resorted to positioning staff at the entrance and installing security tags on almost all of the shop’s shelved items.

He said: “I don’t blame the police, but we don’t bother calling them when someone gets away. By the time they reach us, the person will be long gone and they’re not going to catch them.”

West Midlands Police admitted businesses were feeling the impact of “increasing theft, crime and antisocial behaviour” in the city centre. A force spokesperson said patrols had been “ramped up” to target prolific shoplifters and reduce crime.

They added: “We are working with businesses and members of the public to identify and target prolific offenders and reduce crime that causes harm to businesses.”

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Nationally, almost 90 business leaders, including the bosses of Tesco and Primark, wrote to home secretary Suella Braverman raising their concerns about retail crime, in particular violence against workers.

The government is already planning to bring in prison sentences for repeat shoplifters under revisions to the government’s crime and justice bill. The Met Police is also beginning to use facial recognition technology to catch offenders.

However, there are also concerns that harsher punishments could worsen the situation for those already struggling in the cost of living crisis.

Dan White, policy and campaigns officer at Disability Rights UK, told The Big Issue: “Too often politicians want to address the symptoms, instead of looking at the root causes and tackling deep inequalities within our society.”