Shoplifting doubles as police ‘ignore thieves’

Corner shops warn of growing violence against staff and prolific offenders going unpunished

Reports of shoplifting have nearly doubled in a year, with retailers blaming the police for turning a blind eye. The Association of Convenience Stores said there were more than 950,000 incidents of theft in corner shops over the last year, rising from 575,000 the year before. Retailers have accused ministers of helping to fuel shoplifting as most police forces now no longer attend reports of routine shop theft. Those caught stealing less than £200 are now dealt with by post.

REPORTS of shoplifting have nearly doubled in a year, with retailers blaming the police for turning a blind eye.

A report by the Association of Convenience Stores said there were more than 950,000 incidents of theft in corner shops over the last year, rising from 575,000 the year before.

It means more than 200 thefts are being reported an hour, with many more likely to be undetected.

Retailers have accused ministers of helping to fuel a rise in shoplifting after it emerged that a £200 threshold for pursuing criminals has been introduced.

Most police forces now no longer attend reports of routine shop theft and will only send an officer to investigate if there has been a threat of violence against a member of staff.

Those caught stealing less than £200 are now dealt with by post, in the same way as speeding drivers, leading to the effective decriminalisation of shoplifting.

Back in December, The Daily Telegraph disclosed that retailers had held private meetings with the Home Office where they warned that “prolific and persistent” offenders were exploiting the rules by moving around high streets stealing just under £200 worth of goods.

The significant rise in shop thefts has also been linked to aggressive behaviour towards retailers and their staff, the report said.

According to the report, the total cost of crimes committed against the convenience sector over the last year was £193 million. This equates to a 7p “crime tax” on every transaction. In addition, small stores are also battling against fraudulent payments in the form of counterfeit notes and credit and debit card fraud, which amounted to £24 million last year.

It is hoped this figure will fall following the introduction of polymer notes and the new “highly secure” 12-sided £1 coin.

James Lowman, the ACS’S chief executive, said: “Retailers and their staff are facing violence and abuse on a regular basis for enforcing the law, whether it be through challenging shop thieves, refusing the sale of agerestricted products like tobacco and alcohol or refusing to serve people that are intoxicated.

“Allowing shop theft to go unpunished means that these people go on to commit other offences, and where they have addiction problems they are not treated.

“We need fresh thinking from the Government and the police, because when shop theft is not tackled properly, it has wider implications for communities.”