Shoplifting clampdown unveiled at last with specialist cops targeting gangs

23 October 2023 , 13:42

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The Government has finally outlined plans to tackle an alarming rise in shoplifting and violence against retail staff

Police chiefs, ministers and retailers have finally outlined sweeping plans to clamp down on shoplifting in a major victory for the Mirror.

At a summit in Downing Street, top cops and Home Office minister Chris Philp told bosses at 13 chains including John Lewis, Tesco and Sainsbury's that they would create a "hostile environment" for thieves. A new specialist police team will be formed to target organised crime gangs behind a terrifying wave of violent robberies - but Labour has dismissed it as "too little, too late".

The Government stopped short of pledging officers would attend every incident. It follows calls for more to be done to protect retail staff facing an avalanche of violence and abuse, with shoplifting cases rising by over 25% in a year.

Police will aim to turn up if shop workers are victims of violence, a suspect has been detained or if evidence urgently needs to be secured. Retailers were told, however, that it isn't realistic to expect them to attend every case.

It was also announced that investigators will run CCTV images through the Police National Database, using facial recognition technology to identify thieves - particularly violent or prolific offenders. The new Retail Crime Action Plan includes a pledge to follow up evidence that can "reasonably" be expected to catch a shoplifter.

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Officers will also step up patrols in hotspots, the Government has announced - days after the Police Federation said it needs more "boots on the ground" to tackle retail crime. Mr Philp said: “We don’t want the UK to end up like some US cities where this has got out of control. And that is why we are going to be hitting this hard with today’s plan to put retail crime back in a box and fight it.”

But Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "The Tories have allowed shoplifting to reach a record high and yet they are still failing to put neighbourhood police back into our town centres or come up with a comprehensive plan.

"Today's announcements are too little, too late. The Conservatives have let the gangs fuelling this crime to take hold in our towns and high streets, while bringing in laws that make it harder to take action on shoplifting and cutting 10,000 neighbourhood police from the streets.

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"So dire is the situation that the policing minister last month called for shoppers to do citizens arrests instead as there aren’t enough police." The Liberal Democrats said Government funding amounts to just 0.8p per shoplifting offence.

Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, said: “Suella Braverman’s coppers for cops approach is frankly pathetic. Conservative ministers have taken thousands of community officers off the streets, now they’re offering chump change towards tackling this theft epidemic.

“Instead of yet more gimmicks that are bound to fail, the Home Secretary needs to invest in proper community policing and ensure crimes are investigated. The government's current failed approach is letting organised criminal gangs off the hook and leaving shopkeepers vulnerable.”

Paul Gerrard, campaigns director at The Co-op, said: “The Co-op has long called for greater police prioritisation so they tackle the rampant rise in retail crime especially those involving violence or prolific offenders; this is now what happens at present as our colleagues see every day."

Earlier this month, at the Labour Party Conference, Mr Gerrard said that 1,000 incidents a day are reported across the chain's 2,500 UK stores. But he said that when staff do step in and detain shoplifters, they regularly have to let them go because police don't respond, and said this adds an average of 6p to every transaction.

The Mirror has been demanding urgent action to tackle the epidemic of shoplifting that is sweeping Britain's high streets. We believe police must investigate all shoplifting incidents and want to reverse Tory laws that downgraded the theft of goods worth less than £200 to a minor offence.

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Our campaign is also calling for more PCSOs so they can patrol our high streets. The number has fallen from 16,814 in 2009 to 8,263, with Labour vowing to recruit 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs.

Other demands include addressing the underlying causes of shoplifting by tackling the cost of living crisis and providing more support for people with addiction and poor mental health.

Shoplifting is estimated to cost retailers almost £1billion a year, and adds an average of 6p to every transaction made in shops. Businesses will be urged to send CCTV footage of an entire incident to police through a digital evidence management system.

So far 13 retail chains have committed to ploughing £60,000 into a new operation, named Pegasus - with the cash matched by the Home Office. Backers hope it will improve the way intelligence is shared, leading to more arrests.

It comes after Police Federation of England and Wales national chair, Steve Hartshorn, said: "Forces will take action the best they can, but ultimately, we need more boots on the ground as our current workforce is already drowning in demand."

Nicki Juniper, Head of Security for the John Lewis Partnership said : "While there's no silver bullet for tackling retail crime, we welcome this significant step forward. Retail crime is not victimless, it has an impact on Partners, customers and on prices."

Last year more than 342,000 shoplifting cases were reported to police in England and Wales, up from 275,000 12 months earlier.

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Dave Burke