Shop staff face a shoplifting epidemic this Christmas, as new figures reveal unsolved theft rates have hit a new high. According to new research, shoplifting has soared by 65% in just five years, rising to a new high of 810 offences going unsolved every single day.
Analysis of House of Commons library data showed that in the past year, an eye-watering 295,589 theft offences were committed without a suspect being identified. Despite CCTV both in and out of shops, just 19% of theft cases led to a suspect being charged or summoned this year. The astonishing rate has now prompted warnings that shopkeepers and staff are being put at risk, as they are increasingly left to tackle the problem on their own without police help.
The Liberal Democrats have called for a “mass CCTV” rollout, with funding for small stores to install modern cameras to improve rates of identifying thieves.
LibDem MP Josh Reynolds, who previously worked in retail for the Co-op, said staff are “being forced to intervene, even putting themselves in danger to protect their businesses”.
“This Christmas, thousands of dedicated shop staff will be left in fear, dreading their shifts as a result of facing potential abuse or even violence from thieves.
“So many small businesses put their blood, sweat and tears into their products, only to have them taken away by this careless crime. The Government must do everything in their power to protect them and heed our calls for a mass CCTV rollout.”
The party’s business spokesman Sarah Olney said their proposal for CCTV grants and loans would “give businesses the tools they need to protect themselves and tackle this crime once and for all.”
This month the Home Office announced a “winter of action” to crack down on crime and antisocial behaviour in town centres.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that shoplifting and other crimes are “tearing at the fabric of our communities”, and pledged more bobbies on the beat to help catch criminals.
It followed a similar scheme over the summer, which increased police visibility and led to a rise in public confidence in town centres.
The Safer Streets Summer scheme led to Greater Manchester Police oversee a 20% drop in shop theft and other forms of theft, while arrests for shoplifting rose by 30% in Thames Valley.
However the creaking justice system has led to an explosion in the length of time it takes for a shoplifting case to be dealt with.
Figures show it now takes 59 days for a case to work through from an offence to completion in a magistrates’ court, up from 32 days in 2014.
Labour has condemned rates of shop theft under the previous government, and the effective immunity for shop thefts under £200.
The rule was brought in by the Tories’ 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act amid claims it would free up resources by increasing the number of police-led prosecutions” and ensure “swifter justice for retailers”.
This year the British Retail Consortium said the clause had led to the “perception among some retailers that some police forces do not regard shop theft as a ‘real’ crime, particularly if it is under £200 in value”.
Custody rates for prolific thieves – who have at least 15 previous convictions – are also at record lows.
Nearly six in 10 of these career criminals avoided prison last year, according to the Ministry of Justice, with just 41% receiving a custodial sentence.
One example included a woman who helped steal £145,000-worth of goods from Tesco avoiding jail.
Retailers have estimated that a whopping 70% of of thefts in their shops are carried out by just 10% of offenders.
Robert Jenrick, the Tory shadow Justice Secretary, argued that it’s “no surprise shoplifting is at record levels when there are no consequences for these scumbags”.
“These prolific offenders need locking up so we can protect the public and cut crime rates. But Labour are doing precisely the opposite. They’re ending short prison sentences for shoplifters and letting those in prison out early.”
Shoplifting is estimated to have cost retailers £2 billion last year, adding around £133 to every family’s shopping bill.
