The government's policing minister has declared that there is "no excuse" for a rise in shoplifting in the UK.
Chris Philp's comments come amid increasing levels of theft in UK shops, with the minister saying gangs, criminal re-selling and drugs were largely to blame.
He added: "There really is no excuse for crime at all, including shoplifting... we've got a very generous benefits system of spending... the national minimum wage has just gone up."
A survey by the British Retail Consortium this year found levels of shoplifting in 10 major cities had risen by an average of 27% compared with 2022, costing businesses £1.76 billion over a 12-month period, Sky News reports.
What is the punishment for shoplifting?
According to the Sentencing Council, if the goods taken "are worth less than £200, the maximum sentence is six months’ custody".
"If the goods are worth more than £200, the maximum sentence is seven years’ custody," it adds.
Shops not putting meat on shelves until they have security guard in store
Speaking to Sky News on the subject of shoplifting, field officer Nick Strickland who is part of Sussex Police's Business Crime Reduction Partnership in Brighton, shared some of the procedures some shops are taking to try and prevent it.
He said that meat, dairy and butter are frequently taken because of rising prices and high resale values.
"Some stores don't even put meat on to the shelves until they've got a security guard in the store... if you want something, you have to go and ask," he added.
Mr Strickland also mentioned a clothes store that had been targeted by suspected organised criminals who stole whole racks of products.
He commented: "They'll come in, usually by the door, and just wrap their hands around the coat hangers, lift them and either put them in a bag or just lift them and run out the front door."
Mr Philp warned that a lack of focus on shoplifting by forces means there has been "no deterrence".
Referring to the looting that has taken place in some American cities, the policing minister said: "The San Francisco case study... shows what happens when you have a permissive environment where the police don't take further action, where you don't have a zero-tolerance approach, you get these crime types simply escalating."
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here