Horrifying clips of brazen thieves threatening shop staff and stealing booze
Hardworking retail staff are abused and threatened by brazen shoplifters as they ransack high street stores, in shocking images revealed to The Mirror.
They come from videos filmed by members of the public, and show Co-op workers facing verbal threats of violence as well as homophobic insults as thieves fill bags full of goods. New figures from Co-op record over 175,000 incidents of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in the first six months of 2023 – a 35% year-on-year increase.
In the first video, filmed at a London store, a man walks down the aisles filling a large bag with toiletries and laundry items. As staff confront him, he initially ignores them before repeatedly saying: “I don’t care”. Two more videos show a male and female pair, believed to be repeat offenders, filling bags with sweets, fizzy drinks and ice creams.
In one, the man yells at staff, threatening and swearing at them before the pair walk out. The next and most shocking video shows them coming back to fill tote bags with items. The woman tells the worker she will “dash” (slang for “hit”) him in the “f***ing head”, while the man pushes a staff member, repeatedly, swears at him and threatens to “smack” him before they leave without repercussions.
Man walks out of shop carrying three cases of beer he hasn't paid for
A man fills an IKEA bag with goods before leaving the store without payingA fourth video shows a man brazenly walking out with three crates of beer, shouting a homophobic slur at an employee who tried to stop him. The videos reveal a snapshot of the frightening incidents thousands of retail workers face every day.
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The major union for the industry, USDAW, says employees can be left suffering anxiety and physical harm. Steve Faye of security firm Safecrowds said it has switched to protecting staff as opposed to items after a “dramatic” increase in aggressive attacks over the past 12 months.
Several retail bosses report an “epidemic” of shoplifting and Co-op is one of several companies to hire undercover security staff. It is trialling ‘dummy display packaging’ for targeted products like coffee and chocolates. Shoplifting is believed to cost retail up to £2bn a year, including prevention costs. And USDAW found three quarters of shop staff suffered abuse from customers last year.
Dave Williams, of USDAW, said: “We need police to take abuse, threats and violence against retail workers seriously. We must also address societal issues like the cost of living crisis, addiction and mental health issues.” A new Mirror Clamp Down on Shoplifting campaign calls for a reversal of Tory laws downgrading theft of goods under £200 to a minor offence punishable by a £70 postal fine.
The British Retail Consortium wants a separate offence of assaulting a retail worker. A Co-op spokesperson said: “Retail crime is driven by repeat offenders and organised gangs. I’ve seen horrific incidents of brazen, violent theft. Too often police fail to respond. Criminals are operating without fear of consequences.”
Part of the problem is said to be the cost of living crisis. Andy Cooke, Chief Inspector of Con-stabulary, said officers must use “discretion” with those stealing to eat. John Nussbaum, of Kingdom Security, said: “We see a lot more normal families and kids involved, even old people. Police rarely attend unless a weapon is involved. Word gets round. Shoplifters say: ‘We’ll be back tomorrow’.”
Attacked over a £4 jar of coffee
By Emmeline Saunders
Shoppers stood around open-mouthed as a shouting woman lifted a glass jar of coffee and threatened to smash it in a Co-op worker’s face. One hot evening, I’d nipped in from the tail end of a dog walk to pick up some last-minute bits for tea, only to hear the sounds of a violent struggle near the entrance of the shop.
Rounding the bottom of the fruit and veg aisle, I could see the angry woman with an armful of groceries trying to leave the store, while two shop workers – one male, one female – tried to stop her. She had grabbed items from a nearby shelf, including a box of teabags and the coffee.
Other shoppers paused to turn and stare or ignored the fracas completely, lost in their own world. One even tried to step around the would-be shoplifter to get to the yoghurts. But it was clear this was an unsafe situation and could escalate at any second.
When I saw the woman raising her arm to strike the female worker with the jar in her hand, I herded the gawping shoppers back to the safety of the veg aisle and blocked them with my body in case the glass shattered. I saw the shoplifter throw a punch, which seemed to connect with the worker’s face.
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Seeing she was becoming more frantic and might become even more violent, I suggested the workers let her go – as nobody needs to lose an eye over a £4 jar of instant coffee. They released her and the shoplifter ran out, dropping some of her goods as she left.
I called the police and the female worker and I described what had happened. She was shaken but luckily uninjured. These scenes are repeated up and down the country every day.
Mirror demands...
Mirror's campaign■ Police must investigate all shoplifting incidents. Reverse Tory laws which downgraded the theft of goods worth less than £200 to a minor offence.
■ Restore the number of Police Community Support Officers so they can patrol our high streets. The number of PCSOs has fallen from 16,814 in 2009 to 8,263.
■ Address the underlying causes of shoplifting by tackling the cost of living crisis and providing more support for people with addiction and poor mental health.
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