'Brazen stealing is worse than ever', shops warn

Businesses across the South East say shoplifting has become "much more brazen" with staff being shouted at and abused.

Independent businesses say they are footing the bill for an increasing number of thefts as they have to install security measures and offer de-escalation training for their staff.

The say they fear wrongly accusing shoplifters due to worries about how bad reviews could affect their reputation.

A British Retail Consortium (BRC) survey showed retail crime was "spiralling out of control" while 2024 statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed shoplifting reached new highs in the South East since the beginning of the cost of living crisis.

Laurissa Woolgar, manager of Siesta Crafts in Palace Street, Canterbury, Kent, said shoplifters in the store had become "much more brazen" as thieves "just don't seem to care at all".

She added: "Earlier this month a gentleman stole a silver ring right in front of my eyes.

"It's almost a game for some people. There's teenagers on a Saturday who come and pick up jewellery and leave.

"It's worse than it's ever been before. It's the cockiness and brazenness of it."

Ms Woolgar said shoplifting in Siesta Crafts had become "exhausting and continuous" and that most of her staff had been abused by thieves they had caught.

She added the impact on the shop was "massive" and, despite now having CCTV cameras, staff were wary of challenging potential offenders as a mistake "could end up as a bad review".

A crime survey by the BRC found retail abuse and violence had risen by around 50% in the past year.

In the South East, shoplifting figures rose by 42.6% in Surrey, 8.5 % in Kent and 13.5% in Sussex, according to ONS figures.

Liz Cotton, of Infinity Foods in Brighton, added: "We are still catching shoplifters every single day. Sometimes we will just find empty packets in the shop.

"This sort of thing adds up and we have to weigh up the price of it [extra security].

"It's a price we are prepared to pay for peace of mind."

Ms Cotton added the city centre food shop was in the process of offering de-escalation training to all of its staff following incidents.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said she welcomed the shoplifting figures as she said it showed businesses were reporting more retail crime.

She added: "I feel quite aggrieved for local business people – shop theft should never have got this bad and it should have been tackled a long time ago.

"The abuse shopworkers are getting is horrible.

"People take their chance because they think police forces are turning a blind eye. It's very important that police forces like Sussex continue a real focus on this."

Ms Bourne said she would like to see prolific shoplifters electronically tagged and was working on a pilot scheme to do so in Sussex.

She added that the national Pegasus partnership, aimed at combatting shoplifting, had resulted in nearly 100 arrests targeting organised criminal gangs.

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