Shopliftting.

[Chippy_Tea]

All over 5 live today.

How did a £200 limit before you are prosecuted ever become a thing, shop keepers are phoning in saying thieves are walking into shops filling holdalls and walking out knowing nothing will be done.

One small shop owner with 16 local staff lost £26,000 last year, this is crazy.

 

[xozzx]

Going to start using the scan as you shop at Tesco for my shopping, keep it under 200 and walk away. Is there a limit how many times I can do it?

 

[jof]

I can see this pushing the tiny convenience stores back to the pre 80s 'open all hours' model, where you no longer pick your own goods. After all that's what all these online shoppers do now, it's just replacing a mouse click with asking the assistant for the items.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Police are too busy catching grannies going a few mph over the 20mph speed limit and arresting little autistic girls for offending some random snowflake on the internet to be bothered with old fashioned crimes...only harming the evil capitalist shop owners anyway so not a real crime, they're just getting what they deserve for exploiting their work force....

They've reduced the requirements to become a police officer so much these days that I'm not sure most could actually catch a theif these days. I used to look upon the movie Police Academy as a comedy...little did I know it was a prediction of reality. Not so funny anymore.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Police are too busy catching grannies going a few mph over the 20mph speed limit and arresting little autistic girls for offending some random snowflake on the internet to be bothered with old fashioned crimes...only harming the evil capitalist shop owners anyway so not a real crime, they're just getting what they deserve for exploiting their work force....

They've reduced the requirements to become a police officer so much these days that I'm not sure most could actually catch a theif these days. I used to look upon the movie Police Academy as a comedy...little did I know it was a prediction of reality. Not so funny anymore.

That's what happens when you have a decade of underfunding and enforced police cutbacks...

 

[Leon103]

All over 5 live today.

How did a £200 limit before you are prosecuted ever become a thing, shop keepers are phoning in saying thieves are walking into shops filling holdalls and walking out knowing nothing will be done.

One small shop owner with 16 local staff lost £26,000 last year, this is crazy.

Where does it say that in the legislation?

Reading the courts section of the local rag shows this isn't the case where I live.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I do it all the time, all the money saved goes on holidays, you should try it it's great fun

 

[The Baron]

I know a lot of people will not like what I am about to say but if people did not buy the goods off of them there would be no black market while most of it gets sold in your local pubs as they have a clientele already made and to take it a step further many of the landlords condone it as they let it be sold on their premises with some of my local landlords giving them orders of what to steal for their kitchens and yes it is a fact as I know them.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How did a £200 limit before you are prosecuted ever become a thing, shop keepers are phoning in saying thieves are walking into shops filling holdalls and walking out knowing nothing will be done.

Where does it say that in the legislation?

My mistake as it should have read - "How did a £200 limit before you are prosecuted in a magistrates court ever become a thing"


The change stems from the requirement in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 for any shoplifting offence less than £200 to be treated as a summary offence, which should be handled through a penalty notice fine of just £70 without the thief having to turn up at magistrates.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/03/chris-philp-police-must-arrest-shoplifters-goods-gbp-200/#:~:text=The change stems from the,to turn up at magistrates.

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[Agentgonzo]

The change stems from the requirement in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 for any shoplifting offence less than £200 to be treated as a summary offence, which should be handled through a penalty notice fine of just £70 without the thief having to turn up at magistrates.

So if I steal £199 worth of stuff I have to pay a £70 fine and can keep the profit? Sounds like a good business model to me... where do I sign up?

 

[Leon103]

So if I steal £199 worth of stuff I have to pay a £70 fine and can keep the profit? Sounds like a good business model to me... where do I sign up?

Only if you have managed to sell the stolen goods for more than £70, and before you were caught.

 

[Leon103]

So if I steal £199 worth of stuff I have to pay a £70 fine and can keep the profit? Sounds like a good business model to me... where do I sign up?

Makes some sense, perhaps some diversionary activities. Cheaper for the public than sending all to court, and it must cost the business money to provide evidence and attend court.

 

[Clint]

Well if I encounter any of these sh1thouses in my wife's shop I shall exercise my right to use the necessary force to remove them from our private property.
If this involves a spectacular combo of head butts and kidney punches so be it.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

My son has a part time job in a supermarket they are told not to get involved if they see a thief all they can do is alert security who are also not allowed to touch the thief, the world has gone mad.

 

[Rodcx500z]

My daughter is manageress of a superdrug store they have been told to phone the police, not once have they turned up in time to catch them, more often than not they turn up the day after and are not in the remotest bit interested

 

[Agentgonzo]

My daughter is manageress of a superdrug store they have been told to phone the police, not once have they turned up in time to catch them, more often than not they turn up the day after and are not in the remotest bit interested

It's almost like the police are completely underfunded and understaffed.

 

[Alastair70]

It's almost like the police are completely underfunded and understaffed.

You have hit the nail on the head, and it's not just the police. We have a top down problem on our hands; current cost of living crisis on top of a decade and a half of public sector pay erosion. That's probably council staff, nurses and teachers that are doing the nicking. Oh, and maybe the odd bobby too.

EDIT-To be fair, all that group seem to be sticking to food banks. I retract the content of the above comment, but I'll stick by it's underlying sentiment.

 

[Kit-brewer]

All over 5 live today.

How did a £200 limit before you are prosecuted ever become a thing, shop keepers are phoning in saying thieves are walking into shops filling holdalls and walking out knowing nothing will be done.

One small shop owner with 16 local staff lost £26,000 last year, this is crazy.

I work in the law system, people are often prosecuted for shoplifting under £200. And very often under £100.

 

[The Baron]

I am not saying the police are not under funded but it is a mind set of not bothered that is like a cancer in the force.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I'm blaming Brexit, it's turning us into a nation of lovable rouges