tackling shoplifters according to Kemi Badenoch

Chestnut

I'm not sure how it could work but my solution would be for shop entry to be allowed only by swiping a valid bank card at the door. Brilliant eh?

Once in the shop everyone would be identifiable so not able to walk out with stolen items.

I'm afraid it really has come to that because we have such an epidemic of shoplifting.

Completely right.
But
Although the big supermarkets could enforce this, could the corner shop?
I can see a time when high value items (wines, spirits and joints of meat etc.) will be for online orders only.

Chestnut

I'm not sure how it could work but my solution would be for shop entry to be allowed only by swiping a valid bank card at the door. Brilliant eh?

Once in the shop everyone would be identifiable so not able to walk out with stolen items.

I'm afraid it really has come to that because we have such an epidemic of shoplifting.

It would probably work for the majority of customers, but there are many people who don't have bank cards and you can just imagine how much they'd complain.

I think in the not too distant future, all purchases will be by plastic card or phone, so Chestnut's idea would work. I like it!

This is exactly why we need far more (or even some) “bobbies” on the beat!

Also retailers should get together and hire some proper licensed security guards and share the cost. In the long run it’ll be cheaper than the losses and instal very visible CCTV - it’s really not rocket science

Don’t suppose her kids would thank her if mum was stabbed.

I'm not sure what the minimum age for a plastic card is, but are people seriously suggesting that 15 year olds shouldn't be able to buy a bar of chocolate in a shop? There are still some people who hate plastic cards and won't use them and they won't buy online either. Whenever topics such as voter ID are mentioned, there are always a few people who complain because they don't hold any form of ID.

Unfortunately, shoplifters now often work in gangs and are extremely aggressive. They do not lift the occasional item and make their escape, they are likely to clear the shelves and leave a terrified shopkeeper or assistant terrified.

I remember many years ago seeing an old lady slipping a packet of butter and one of cheese into her pockets and just knew that she'd be up before the Magistrate and put on probation yet again. It was more of a compulsion and she needed help.

Unlike today's shoplifters who are more like steaming gangs.

Where I live (town) is off a very busy A road. Car will pull up outside shop with boot open and criminals will literally fill the boot and then get back onto the A road. It’s worse in summer

These aren’t people anyone would want to tackle

It happens all over. I suspect shops will just reduce their opening hours

Chestnut

I'm not sure how it could work but my solution would be for shop entry to be allowed only by swiping a valid bank card at the door. Brilliant eh?

Once in the shop everyone would be identifiable so not able to walk out with stolen items.

I'm afraid it really has come to that because we have such an epidemic of shoplifting.

That might work in some stores but not in all.
If the thief was wearing something like a poachers coat tgey will fill all the inside pockets but still put a basket through the tills. Job done.
If we had more police to patrol car boot sales we might dent the Buisness a little. A huge amount of these stolen goods are sold through car boot markets.

And they drive off from petrol forecourts without paying for their fuel.

I don’t know what the answer is.

I was in a local Herons store, a youngish chap in front of me paid for one or two items. The checkout chap then said ‘And what about the chocolate sticking out of your pocket?’

The chap just shrugged, and left.

I couldn’t believe his cheek, but the assistant just looked resigned.

Not only car boots, some of it is sold on sites such as Vinted.

So, using your best Kung Fu moves you manage to apprehend the thief. The Police arrive. He/she shows them some bruises, and say you assaulted them.
What happens next?

When we lived near Glasgow I often spotted shoplifters and pick pockets at work inside quality shops in Sauchiehall St , I just discreetly informed security and they were all picked up.

Maremia, your point is the one made by store managers to the employee who physically wrestled the shop lifter

Yesterday my DH (mid 70’s) attempted to stop one of these ‘just help yourself’ shoppers, who had grabbed many large bags of expensive nuts, and some clothes. DH missed, and alerted the two security guys standing at the exit. They completely ignored the incident, and he ran off into the street. What are they even for if they aren’t going to act. The thief was a scrawny little scroat, certainly not stealing food for a family or anything😡

Being 6ft would be no help to her if the shoplifter had a knife and was prepared to use it.
I usually stand up for myself quite robustly.Like most people I don't like bullying and 50 years ago when I was first in London I remember intervening in a Tube carriage when a group of youngsters were being bullied by a small gang of something-or-others and after some forceful words from me they backed off.
No way would I do that now and not because I am 70-odd but because particularly if the antagonist is young , I would think they would be more likely to carry a knife.
Sorry I 've got nothing against the vast law abiding and pleasant majority of youngsters. Many of them have to carry a knife for self-defence as I understand it.

Labradora

Being 6ft would be no help to her if the shoplifter had a knife and was prepared to use it.
I usually stand up for myself quite robustly.Like most people I don't like bullying and 50 years ago when I was first in London I remember intervening in a Tube carriage when a group of youngsters were being bullied by a small gang of something-or-others and after some forceful words from me they backed off.
No way would I do that now and not because I am 70-odd but because particularly if the antagonist is young , I would think they would be more likely to carry a knife.
Sorry I 've got nothing against the vast law abiding and pleasant majority of youngsters. Many of them have to carry a knife for self-defence as I understand it.

Your last sentence is utterly misleading.

If a “youngster” (or indeed anyone) is carrying a knife, it’s never for self defence, it’s to use!

Our last three AC are in their 20’s, they don’t carry knives, neither did they in their teens, nor did their peers.

twaddle

I'm not sure what the minimum age for a plastic card is, but are people seriously suggesting that 15 year olds shouldn't be able to buy a bar of chocolate in a shop? There are still some people who hate plastic cards and won't use them and they won't buy online either. Whenever topics such as voter ID are mentioned, there are always a few people who complain because they don't hold any form of ID.

Google says you generally need to be at least 11 years old to get a standard children's bank account with a contactless debit card in the UK.

It's for the shop owner to decide whether a child can buy a bar of chocolate with cash. Chain shops might go with the card option for security reasons. Corner shops might allow cash if they are not being robbed blind by youngsters every other day which does happen. Otherwise they might find it cost effective to somehow install card readers at the door.

Don't dismiss sweets and chocolate as unimportant. Apparently there are organised gangs filling bags full of stolen chocolate bars now. Nothing is off limits.

That might work in some stores but not in all. If the thief was wearing something like a poachers coat tgey will fill all the inside pockets but still put a basket through the tills. Job done.

If the shop realises stuff has been stolen they can check the cameras and identify the person at the tills. He could be traced through his bank card, that is why I suggested swiping cards at the door, so that once a person is in the shop he can be identified from his card.

Very few professional shop lifters carry a weapon.
They know the law. If you are caught shop lifting carrying a knife you are charged under a more serious crime.

I put my basket at a supermarket self service "till" recently. There was already a total of 30.00 on the till screen. I asked the assistant close by what should I do and he said it would be someone's total for which they hadnt paid but jusr walked off. I went to a different till and he said it happens quite often and that person would have been caught on the till camera. Apparently then the police come in every so often and look at the camera shots to see if,they recognise anyone. What they do then who knows. So no violence and a quiet theft.
I expect Kemi is not used to shopping in a supermarket or maybe she has some security so in no danger at all of being hit with a whisky bottle which almost happened so 2 assistants who tried to slow a thief down as he left with much alcohol.

She should think before she opens her mouth. Shenis a danger to herself. And others.

petra

Very few professional shop lifters carry a weapon.
They know the law. If you are caught shop lifting carrying a knife you are charged under a more serious crime.

The advice is still not to take the risk and tackle them petra, because you obviously don’t know what they will do. Smashing a bottle and using that as a weapon is enough to do serious damage when a violent person is cornered,

TBH I’d be a lot more impressed if she was urging the police to take real, decisive action against shoplifters. The reason we have such an epidemic of it is surely because absolutely no consequences apply to the vast majority of shoplifters. Small wonder that we have gangs coming from abroad specifically to shoplift - they know how stupidly, uselessly soft the U.K. is.

Could this lack of prosecution have anything to do with our prisons being full?

If security in shops are not allowed to confront shoplifters, why are they there?.Their wages have to be paid, as well as the shops loosing the stolen goods which contributes to the higher prices we have to pay,
My local Tesco express has big security men walking about trying to look intimidating but are useless?. My local Asda has a so called little security man sitting at a desk by the exit door staring into a screen while thieves walk past him with their loot and out of the door.