Police not interested in shoplifting, says M&S
ShOPS are being forced to splash out on store detectives to protect staff because police ‘are not interested’ in tackling shoplifting, the boss of Marks & Spencer’s had claimed.
M&S chairman Archie Norman said officers offer ‘very little help’ even though retail theft hit the highest level on record last year.
his comments echo complaints from other bosses who claim that a lack of action from police forces effectively means shop crime is ‘decriminalised’.
household names including Tesco and Co- op have also sounded the alarm and pleaded with ministers to ensure theft and abuse of workers is taken more seriously. They have said in many cases police officers do not come out to shops when shoplifting is reported.
Asked if the police’s approach had improved, Norman told LBC radio’s Nick Ferrari: ‘We get very little help from the police.
‘We have to accept that police are not interested in this sort of crime any more.’
Shoplifting has risen to alarming levels since the pandemic while the cost-of-living crisis has also been seen as a catalyst for incidents. The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police swelled 37pc to a total of 430,104 in 2023.
This was the highest since the Office for National Statistics’ records started in 2002.
But Norman said theft at M&S is actually going down ‘mostly’ because of the retailer’s own efforts and not those of police.
The high Street stalwart has pumped cash into crime prevention measures such as store detectives and camera systems.
retailers spent a record £1.2bn on crime deterrent methods last year, according to industry group the British retail Consortium.
responding to Norman’s remarks, Chief Superintendent Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for retail crime, said officers were ‘committed to doing all we can to reduce thefts and pursue offenders’. The NPCC worked with the Government to develop a retail crime plan last year, which was ‘already seeing positive results’, he added.