The public has a duty to stand up
to shoplifters rather than relying solely on police officers, a policing chief has said. Matthew Barber, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, said it was wrong to think that tackling thieves
was just a job for police.
He said: “If you’re not even going to challenge people, you’re not going to try and stop them, then people will get away with it. That’s not just about policing. That’s a bigger problem with society, people who [don’t do anything] – you’re part of the problem.”
It comes amid growing pressure on the police to tackle
a shoplifting epidemic, with a record high of nearly three thefts carried out every minute in the year to March.
Retailers have accused police of failing to do enough to tackle the problem. Last week, it was revealed that a store owner in North Wales who
put up a sign criticising “scumbags shoplifting” was told by police to consider changing the wording because it was offensive.
It has also emerged that the Information Commissioner’s Office has advised retailers that
putting up images of thieves in a local area “may not be appropriate” because it could violate suspects’ data rights.
Mr Barber insisted the public and retailers had a vital role to play in tackling
the shoplifting epidemic alongside police.
Speaking at a meeting of the Thames Valley police and crime panel in June, he said he “wouldn’t for a moment” want to suggest that everyone should feel “obliged to take it upon themselves to rugby tackle every perceived criminal to the ground”.
However, he added: “We should all be responsible citizens in our community.”
“If you’ve got someone in your store now stealing from you, call 999. Also ideally try and stop them leaving, don’t just stand there and watch, which a lot of people do, which frustrates me.”
The remarks were heavily criticised by Joshua Reynolds, the Liberal Democrat MP for Maidenhead, in the Thames Valley Police area, who called them “irresponsible” and “dangerous”.
Asked by The Telegraph whether he stood by his statement, Mr Barber said he did. He added: “The idea that this is just a job for the police, citizens have no responsibility, put your head down, carry on, don’t get involved, I think that makes for a very poor society.”
The commissioner said his comments were not about “getting the public to step in where the police are not”, and that police clearly had to play their part in tackling crime.
He added: “But surely the alternative to intervening if a crime is happening in society, is you put your head down, get on with your life, ignore it, is that right?”
Organisations representing independent retailers and newsagents have also warned that they need to be proactive amid
the shoplifting epidemic and lack of police action.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said the country would “never ever have enough police officers to do every single thing that needs policing”. She added: “We need the community as well to do that.”
Ms Badenoch said that “after conducting a very quick risk assessment”, she personally would intervene to tackle
a shoplifter, adding: “That is the sort of person I am. I never liked the phrase have-a-go-hero because I think it is what people used to do as normal back in the day.”
It comes after police issued an appeal after two women were attacked while challenging a suspected shoplifter.
The incident, which happened last Thursday at an Iceland supermarket in Clifton, Nottinghamshire, saw a man put his hands around a woman’s neck and strangle her after she challenged him for putting items into his backpack.
A female member of staff then intervened, and he assaulted her as well, threatening to “kill her” if she got in his way.
He then left the store with another man, having stolen £70 worth of laundry products.
Viral videos circulating on social media accounts show people walking into stores
such as Greggs on a daily basis, grabbing goods and walking out unchallenged.
Mr Barber criticised people who stood to one side and filmed, adding: “You’re the idiot standing there with a mobile phone. You’re not doing anything, either, are you? You’re not even challenging someone verbally. So there’s definitely a wider need for us all to just stand up a little bit.”
Earlier this week, a man died
after being restrained by another customer at a shop in Torpoint, Cornwall, where he had allegedly assaulted staff.
In a report submitted to the Police and Crime Panel, Mr Barber praised the fact there had been a 22 per cent increase in reports of shoplifting from May 2024 to June this year, saying that showed more people were getting involved and reporting criminals.
Data shared on the Thames Valley Police website, however, showed that there had been an increase in the rate of shoplifting incidents across the region relative to last year.
For the year ending this June, the Thames Valley region saw 7.7 incidents of shoplifting per 1,000 residents, compared to 7.4 in the year ending last December.
James Lowman, the chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said the shoplifting epidemic had reached “crisis point”. He added: “We know from feedback from retailers that posting screenshots of CCTV or naming and shaming persistent offenders can be an effective way of dealing with criminals in the absence of intervention from the police.
“While we wouldn’t recommend this as an official policy for any business, theft in some communities has reached crisis point so it’s unsurprising that business owners are doing everything they can to protect themselves and their colleagues.
“Retailers rarely see the police when they report theft, so are understandably frustrated when they are warned about identifying criminals in their store and on social media. The police need to focus on dealing with criminals that are committing offences rather than defending those who take offence.”
Hetal Patel, the president of the Federation for Independent Retailers, said businesses had a right to share pictures in a way that is “lawful, fair and proportionate”.
He added: “It’s understandable that, with shop theft spiralling out of control, retailers are posting photos of prolific offenders in their store windows.”
