Shoplifting - have public scuffles with other customers become a thing??

[FurCoatNoKnickz]

Twice in the last week, I’ve witnessed members of the public stepping in to stop shoplifting, with pushes and scuffles breaking out. I had to call the police. It felt like shoppers are starting to get fed up, butt in, shout things, physically prevent people, push shoplifters and even scuffle.

Are other people noticing this elsewhere?

It would be a deterrent.

Vigilante arrests,what could go wrong??? Next thing will be people policing blue badges/parking spaces (yes I know some do). The shops know what to do but choose not to (Booths/Greggs are different now)but don't believe your shopping will be cheaper.

I've seen another customer step in to support a security guard.

There isn't the money to have a police presence in town these days. I'm sure that if they were on the beat at weekends and ad hoc week days it would start to chip away at shoplifting.

Co op. South Manchester.

The general public has the right to challenge if they want to. Personally, I am not prepared to die to protect A bottle of gin from Sainsbury’s

Not really. Our Sainsburys have a security guard, but the shoplifters just ignore him and walk out anyway! When there's a group of 3 or 4 of them, one security guard hasn't a hope of doing anything. Maybe they may prevent the odd little old lady pocketing something, but it won't stop the organised gangs stealing to sell to order.

I work in a supermarket and shoplifting is totally out of control. Three times in the last 5 days alone we have approached shoplifters who have produced weapons as we approached them. If I was a shopper I would report them but not tackle them.

The general public has to act within the law, though.

Where in Cheshire, though? Could be Wilmslow or could be Runcorn!

Staff are told not to confront shoplifters and the police don’t prosecute so there’s no point really.

My ds worked in a shop with an in-store pharmacy and witnessed drug addicts try and “hold up” the pharmacist with a dirty syringe on more than one occasion. They had makeshift weapons like dirty screwdrivers too.

It is out of control. I saw someone walk out of M&S with a bunch of fillet steaks recently. He even took the shopping basket and strolled slowly down the street casually.

I remember a post on here where someone discussed how she ordered groceries from a shoplifter to order including non essentials like laundry scent boosters. She was surprised when people rightly told her to do without scent boosters if she couldn’t pay full price.

I would imagine most of them don’t know it so that’s going to add to the circus

And paid a wage that reflects the danger they face.

I would be absolutely livid with my partner if he did this. The kids could have seen him get really badly hurt.

I'm in Surrey and can't say I've ever witnessed shoplifting. Only time I've close to shoplifting was when dc1 was in a stroller and managed to grab a punnet of strawberries. I didn't notice until taking him out of the pushchair in the car park. Went back into the shop and paid! Ended up with far more berries than needed.

I'm guessing this must be a regional thing. I'm sure ot does happen literally happen everywhere and daily but more so or more noticeable in certain areas or stores?

I absolutely wouldn't ever intervene, unless I (or kids) were in direct harm. Its just not worth it. Shops have insurance for this shit and security. If they don't that's on them. And yes, I understand the cost does come down on everyone but costs are rising regardless.

I can see us getting to a point where they implement facial recognition and strong metal turnstile-type doors to get into shops.

Security guards are (justifiably) frightened to apprehend people who could be violent and/or have a deadly weapon, so the logical next step is to barricade known thieves out in the first place.

Horrific for civil liberties, but it would probably work once thieves realised that their options were either to pay for their food (after travelling to the next town, once all the food shops in their own town had prevented them from entering) or starve.

I saw a woman casually load up a large shopping bag with packs of meat.
It was absolutely brazen, as I suppose there’s no deterrent at all. I tried to tell a supermarket worker, only found one long after she’d left.
also regularly see people taking meal deals and casually strolling out.

And who pays for that? It's so expensive keeping people in prison. And no one wants to work as a prison officer - getting beaten up and threatened.

Police haven't got the manpower or man hours to deal with it, and prisons are already at capacity. People steal stuff because in most instances there's no consequences.
I know someone who says they nick stuff most times they go to the supermarket (they don't need to, they get a buzz from it)
My DD(18) has just started a pt job. She's already been told that people will nick stuff and they want a staff member available by the make up, asking people if they want help to try and deter theft. I see the principle but honestly I don't think DD would challenge anyone so I'm not sure teenagers on minimum wage are going to put theives off!

I know at least one person who is in a very professional role one where being caught for shoplifting would have a serious impact on their 70 grand a year job, Who will regularly shoplift.

Absolute madness

The area i cover at work used to put out 20+ cops a shift. Now youre lucky if its 10 but then you have to factor in 2 have to go to the hospital and sit with someone needing a MH assessment and 2 have to go and sit with someone in their house waiting for a phone mh assessment. And yes that's pretty much a daily thing. Needless to say the call volume hasn't gone down so things have to be prioritised.

Unless a shoplifter has been detained - a rare occurance these days - then the report of a theft is just not going to get priority. Realistically by the time the shop calls the Police the shoplifter is long gone. So a theft report ends up being taken over the phone.

We used to have a shoplifting unit. 6 cops in a minibus dealing with nothing but shoplifters. Call would come in and 2 would get dropped off at the shop and the others would wait for the next call. They were kept busy their whole shift. All the security staff knew them and they knew all the regular shoplifters.

Now security (rightly) aren't detailing anyone so there's noone for the police to deal with.

Response shifts are being decimated. You'd be horrified if you knew how few cops covered where you live. And as the numbers drop the things that we have to deal with increases, particularly mh related calls. Noone else has got the staff to deal with people with mh issues so we're the dumping ground. And as we get left with mh issues and an increasing number of welfare checks things like thefts and other crimes, things cops should be dealing with fall further and further down the priorities. Its a never ending vicious circle

I won’t be shocked that in a few years you will have to prepay to go into a supermarket. And lots of people will get banned from entering shops. At some point they will use technology against people.
Or they will track shoplifters and wait until they have lots of evidence, or a certain amount of moneys worth, against you, and then take you to court - like they do in America.

Shops will close and then people will moan there are no shops nearby but at some point Tesco or Morrison will decide it’s too expensive to trade and only ‘nice’ areas will have access to shops.

Is this the case in other countries already? Or do all countries and areas in those countries have self checkouts and shops with goods on display?

I think that Crime is getting out of hand in the UK. If small crimes go unpunished do people escalate, maybe to continue getting a thrill or because they know they will get away with it? So shoplifting initially becomes mugging and then burglary?

Get caught with a knife - give them 5 years in prison. Rape and sexual assault is virtually decriminalised as so few get prosecuted. Sexual abuse images - well that’s a slap on the wrist. Rape gangs are covered up by police and councils and MPs. If there is not enough prison spaces that needs addressing. Population growth means we need more prison spaces. And people with dual nationality (or on a visa) who commit any crime should be deported. (If I stole an item in a Spanish supermarket I’d expect to be arrested and to never be allowed to return to Spain or put in a Spanish prison). We can’t deport those with only British citizenship but hopefully that would free up spaces in prison for British people committing crime.

Maybe people are getting fed up. Shoplifting is not a victimless crime as we all have to pay higher prices. I don’t think stores brought it on themselves, I don’t agree with self checkouts due to job losses, however I like living in a society where I could trust most of the people around me. Now I see too many thieves and people who have low morals and no values.

Avoiding paying on the tube- where is the sense of fairness? Why should anyone pay if 1 in 20 fare dodge and get away with it. If it’s free, make it free for all.

We used to be a high trust society. We relied on other British citizens doing the right thing and abiding by the rules that our society and culture valued. Not everyone of course, but most. And that made it a nice place to live.

I saw two men off their faces nick from a small shop in Manchester. There was then a punch up on the street between them and the shop staff which culminated in one of the shoplifters throwing his presumably stolen e bike at the shop window and smashing it because the guys that were working in the shop had managed to get away from them and lock themselves in. This was broad daylight and midweek and it was absolutely terrifying. I don’t want to live in some lawless hellhole of a country where if you’re brazen enough and willing to be violent enough you can do what the fuck you like. I don’t want security guards on the door of Greggs, and security tags on cheese in the supermarket - I want people to be proud that they can provide for themselves, not smug because they got something for nothing by stealing.

Take you to court - you mean a civil claim?

@FurCoatNoKnickz havent personally seen it but not surprised shoppers are stepping in. Price of groceries is so much higher already and the knowledge that CF like these are contributing to it increasing more so probably makes people see red.