Category Archives: Shoplifting

The BBC News website reports that Devon and Cornwall Police have been working with CCTV control centres and business groups to coordinate responses to offenders who target stores on the high street.

By having officers in both locations they were better placed to react to shoplifting reports.

The BBC News website reports that arrests for shop thefts have more than doubled in Surrey over the past year.

The Surrey police force said reports of retail crime are increasing and it has launched a consultation asking business owners and residents how authorities can better combat the problem.

The BBC News website reports that a man toured the country to steal more than £5,000 of chocolate, sweets and other items from supermarkets.

Ionut Rova, jailed for ten weeks, shoplifted from nine Tesco stores and an Aldi between August 2024 and January 2025.

As reported on the Startups website, a new Bill designed to clamp down on retail crime amid an alarming rise in shop thefts, has been introduced by the government.

One of the key changes for small retailers is the announcement of stricter penalties for the shoplifting of items worth under £200.

According to the BBC News website, businesses across the South East say shoplifting has become “much more brazen”, with staff being shouted at and abused.

One Canterbury shop owner, Laurissa Woolgar, said thieves in her store, “just don’t seem to care at all”.

According to the Standard website, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has explained that the surge of shoplifting in the capital is because the city has ‘a lot of shops’.

Asked why the problem is particularly bad in London, Khan said: “Because we have a lot of shops here, and because the cost of living crisis is more acute…”