What’s behind Britain’s shoplifting epidemic?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 23 October 2023
⏱️ 31 minutes
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Summary
Shoplifting offences have risen by 25 per cent in the past year alone, according to the Office for National Statistics. With some incidents turning increasingly violent, and many perpetrators going unpunished, business owners are calling for action. So what’s behind the rise? And what might be the solution?
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Guests:
- Louise Eccles, Consumer Affairs Editor, The Sunday Times.
- Mo Razzaq, Vice President, The Federation of Independent Retailers.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips: GMB, Sky News, PolicyExchangeUK.
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Transcript
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| 0:29.2 | I'm Alex Dibble from the Times World in 10 podcast. Every day we sit down and go through the stories being broken by our correspondence across the world and we play you their interviews. |
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| 0:50.1 | If you struggle to keep up with the news, the world in 10 is for you. |
| 0:54.0 | Listen, wherever you get your podcasts, it is 10 minutes to stay on top of the world. The UK is in the midst of a shoplifting epidemic. It was confirmed by the latest figures which show that |
| 1:16.1 | shoplifting incidents have shot up by an astonishing 25% in the past year. |
| 1:23.0 | John Lewis has revealed that 12 million pounds of goods were stolen last year |
| 1:29.0 | and yet changes in the law in 2014 meant that shoplifting goods under 200 pounds are only treated |
| 1:37.1 | as a summary offense with a fine. |
| 1:40.9 | Twelve million pounds of losses at John Lewis, 33 million at the co-op. |
| 1:46.0 | This spate of shoplifting incidents aren't just casual everyday offenses. |
| 1:51.0 | They're starting to get violent. |
| 1:54.8 | This is the terrifying moment. |
| 1:56.5 | Supermarket stuff in a Bristol branch of Tesco struggle to keep a knife-wielding |
| 2:00.9 | shoplifter at bay. But incidents like this are becoming so frequent |
| 2:05.4 | that the boss of the supermarket is asking for tougher laws to protect his staff |
... |
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