Zero tolerance for shoplifters, say voters after surge in thefts from stores

14 September 2023 , 22:59

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Voters want a tough approach to the crime (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Voters overwhelmingly back a zero tolerance approach to shoplifting, a survey reveals today.

A People Polling study for GB News survey found 38% people "completely agree" with the suggestion officers need to adopt such a policy to a crime which is soaring across UK communities. Another 27% said they "somewhat agree" - showing almost two in three people would back the idea of a zero tolerance stance. Fewer than one in five disagreed.

The poll, which is a major boost for The Mirror’s campaign for a Clamp Down on Shoplifting, also showed people lack confidence in the ability of the police to solve crimes. The survey also indicates how most Britons feel crime in their area is going up.

In a blow to the Government, 62% felt crime was “increasing”, 15% thought it had “stayed the same” and only two percent felt crime was falling. People also lacked confidence in the police to tackle offences. Only two percent had “a lot of confidence” in forces being able to solve crimes, with 27% having a “fair amount of confidence”. But 46% had “not very much confidence” and 14% said they had “no confidence at all”.

Professor Matthew Goodwin, of the School of Politics and International Relations at Kent University, said: “These results show widespread public concern over crime in Britain today. The vast majority of voters believe that crime is increasing in British society and they no longer have confidence in the police to deal with this issue.

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“What we also see in these results is strong public support for a zero tolerance approach to dealing with shoplifters - and when it comes to the relationship between immigration and crime, we find that nearly half of all voters now believe that immigration has made levels of crime worse in British society. What this underlines is the fact that crime is now playing a leading role in British politics and will have a considerable influence on the outcome of the next general election.”

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Ben Glaze