Arrest a shoplifter says Tory MP. Would you? I wouldn't.

[newnamethanks]

This is the latest economy they wish to foist upon us. Please detain anyone you spot helping themselves to goods which belong to a shop. Don't think about your own personal safety, just be public spirited enough to interrupt that junkie over there helping himself. As if.

I live in a very deprived area, one of the worst in the country. I've turned many a blind eye to shoplifters in asda. I don't intend to stop. I've even seen security pretend not to see one or two mums with an unpaid for tin of formula or pack of baby grows.

If people had enough to live on, 99.9% wouldn't steal

Let's the shops deal with it.

Why can’t shops just hire security? It’s not their customers job to protect their profits.

The cost will be passed onto us anyway

Nope.

It's going to worse.

If they implement stricter sanctions on people and cut welfare as has been reported, even more people will become desperate.

I don't think we're quite at the point of apocalypse, but eventually, those with excess may find that those with a deficit get sick of it and take steps to rebalance things.

And then get a good kicking or worse, stabbed.

Fill your boots.

Crime , if I remember rightly spiralled under Thatcher too , where police didn't bother even with domestic burglaries either .

For big events, they find the "extra" officers by cancelling everyone's annual leave, cancelling days off (effectively that's canceling the officers weekends) and expecting overtime. They also ship in officers from other places for "mutual aid"..

Sounds like another idea like 'Big Society' Let's cut all public services and just get volunteers to step in. Oh, but also every one should be in work so who exactly can volunteer? Now we're meant to be working and patrolling shops for shoplifters at the same time...

I work in retail, we're told not to apprehend shoplifters, although sometimes it's hard not to let your instinct take over, they say for our own safety, but also because nobody has 4+ hours spare to sit with them in an office, waiting for the police to arrive for them to then be let go.

Shoplifters see it as being risk free, worst thing that can happen is someone does stop them and take the goods back, but more often than not, they get to just walk out with a trolley full of shopping.

Security guards are there as nothing more than a deterrent .

Are you really that detached from reality to believe that?