Police ‘can’t afford to nick shoplifters’
A CRIME Commissioner sparked fury by saying police will no longer nick shoplifters – to save cash.
Paddy Tipping said his force needed to save £16million, adding: “Is shoplifting as important as investigating a serious sexual assault? It is not.
“There are jobs that will be lower priority. If people report shoplifting will the police come? Probably not.”
His Nottinghamshire force dealt with 8,786 shoplifting crimes last year.
Newsagent John Barlow, 45, of Bulwell, said: “Police are telling thieves, ‘Help yourself.’ You can’t just give thieves a licence to steal.”
And Chief Constable Craig Guildford later insisted: “If a shoplifter is detained we will be going to make that arrest.”