‘Meat monitors’ put in as shoplifting soars
Maidenhead: Sharp rise in thefts from town shops, with food a main target
Maidenhead’s biggest retailers are losing ‘thousands of pounds worth of stock’ every week as the town experiences a sharp rise in shoplifting.
The increase is thought to be brought about by the cost of living crisis which is driving up food costs, with town manager Robyn Bunyan telling a meeting this week the issue was becoming ‘huge’.
She said supermarkets have been forced to employ ‘meat monitors’ to watch over expensive cuts, with the town’s larger stores such as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer said to be most impacted.
A Maidenhead Town Forum meeting on Monday heard that the issue of shoplifting was not one that was going to disappear.
Thames Valley Police’s engagement officer Jeff Pick also told councillors that shops often do not bother to pursue criminal charges due to the length of time it takes to find and prosecute offenders.
The forum heard that criminals were ‘bold’ and would threaten staff if they were stopped from leaving a store with stolen products.
Forum chairman Councillor David Coppinger (Con, Bray) asked Ms Bunyan whether the problem was a new issue.
She replied by saying that while it was not a fresh concern, Maidenhead has ‘got issues’ with shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
“It is an issue that has continued for many years, we are experiencing a vast spike in that,” she said.
“This is a high-value issue that is unfortunately not going to disappear.
“For our small independents, if they start to get hit then that is a real concern. We are aware that resourcing is an issue but we need to find a way to support our local traders.”
Ms Bunyan said that food being stolen was becoming a ‘massive’ problem, which was thought to have come about due to rising costs of products and people struggling financially.
There have also been some cases of ‘bilkings’ – making off from fuel stations without paying – at three petrol stations in Maidenhead.
In one instance, a lorry driver pumped £198.27 worth of diesel into his truck before driving away in Windsor Road.
Mr Pick said it was ‘not in the financial interest’ for garages to report every bilking incident due to the heavy taxation on fuel, with this ‘not really appearing to be a problem’ in the town.
Town manager Ms Bunyan told the forum that despite some problems facing Maidenhead, the area still had ‘much good stuff happening’.
“There are some big names coming to sit alongside our smaller retailers which will bring some vibrancy to the town,” she said.
“There is a lot to shout about in Maidenhead.
“Anti-social behaviour is an issue but there is much good stuff happening – we have a real community spirit and there are people behind the events we are doing.”
Figures shown to the forum revealed that 582,579 people had visited Maidenhead during July, with ‘positive movement’ spotted on the high street footfall levels compared to pre-pandemic levels.
However, car park usage is still ‘significantly down’ due to a lack of office workers in the town.