tackling shoplifters according to Kemi Badenoch

pinkprincess

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.

I agree and have seen it happen many times.It’s yet more evidence that the UK is in a bad state.Officials shrugging at lawlessness.

I would be willing to help out a Security Guard apprehend a shoplifter if needed because I was Martial Arts trained but that leaves me open to a charge of Assault by the Shoplifter if the Police charge me which can happen. We live in strange times!

Iam64

Kemi does herself no favours does she.

Shop lifting is at epidemic proportions. It needs police/retail to get together and work out a way of reducing, preventing theft. It doesn’t need members of the public feeling we ought to be front line preventative.

I couldn't agree more.
Surely technology and AI can provide a better solution to this problem.

Shoplifting has just become away of life for some people.They are not all Alcoholic and Drug Addicts.
They think they have the god given right to take stuff anytime they want without payment or punishment.

It is rife in my local Coop.

Jojo1950

I have done it! I’m not strong or big.
However I cannot stand bye and watch it happening. My son caught one in London. Lad had stolen electrical equipment! Retrieved it for the owner chasing after him.
It can be done just have an understanding of when and how. We should all help out!

Couple of our shops have closed in the town as they can’t afford the cost of shop lifting.
One shop owner told me when he called the police, the police person ended up hugging the drug addict. He said you couldn’t make it up & that’s when he decided to shut up shop.

I was in a sports shop the other week, & the shop assistant described what I bought via a radio to the guy on the door. Probably because I hadn’t taken a bag into the shop.
I always make sure I take a receipt off the assistant.

Jojo1950

What a waste of my time at my time of life.

What is?

What a waste of my time at my time of life.

I have done it! I’m not strong or big.
However I cannot stand bye and watch it happening. My son caught one in London. Lad had stolen electrical equipment! Retrieved it for the owner chasing after him.
It can be done just have an understanding of when and how. We should all help out!

In the USA, they have a lot of stuff behind locked plastic doors and you have to ask for service to buy it. I don't see why we can't have entrances monitored by something with a gate to let you through once that has been done. At the exit, you should have to scan your receipt at a gate before you can leave or speak to staff if you haven't bought anything.

Cossy

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.

Cossy,
I should have said "some" not many. I understand, anecdotally , there are groups of older schoolchildren who feel forced to carry knives "just in case".
I can't quote you serious statistics so perhaps I would have done better to keep my big mouth shut.
Also anyone carrying a weapon apparently is more likely to end up a victim of their own weapon so probably it doesn't work.
Dreadful that this happens at all.
😘💐

Very silly idea. Others have mentioned, and I agree that you don't know whether or not they have a knife or are prepared to use violence. Not the role of a member of the public to intervene. Alert a member of staff but that's it

kemi is an idiot, she let's her mouth run without thinking.

Mini-moron gives poor advice. Shoplifters may be carrying a knife. Don't risk it.

Colls

I find this thread unbelievable!

Why do that?

Why make a bold statement without context?

I find this thread unbelievable!

With our lax attitude to criminality in this country I often wish I lived in Singapore where they know how to deal with people like that.

I was in M & S yesterday, this guy walked in & stole two shoulders of lamb & walked out. The security guard didn’t do a thing.
Probably didn’t want to be accused of being a racist.
I said wasn’t that his job to apprehend the thief, he said they were told just to let them leave.
Homebargains another one put a belt on & pulled his jumper down, didn’t even try & hide it. I told the woman on the till.
Did she say anything, did she hell.
No wonder our food prices are going through the roof.

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.

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

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.