‘Shoplifting risks pushing up prices – here’s how I’m fighting it as mayor’

There is a daily battle being waged on our high streets and in our corner shops up and down the country. The Tories seem to have thrown in the towel. It’s time for Labour to reclaim our streets from the criminals making lives a misery.

The crime is shoplifting. It’s increase is truly staggering. In my own area of Avon and Somerset, according to the Office for National Statistics, there has been a 41% increase over the past year.

Retailers are losing £3.5m in stolen goods every single day, says the Centre for Retail Research. Shops large and small are sounding the alarm, from John Lewis to the Co-op, and even charity shops. Indeed, a poll by the Charity Retail Association suggested charity shops have lost £15m to thieves. The Association of Convenience Stores, which represents 33,500 shops, says it has recorded the highest number of shoplifting incidents ever over the last year.

Enough is enough. I have been truly shocked by what shopkeepers have been telling me. Brazen thieves swiping high-value goods off shelves. I’ve met shopworkers who know their shoplifters by name because they see them so very often. I’ve heard from workers who have been offered goods for sale in the pub that were stolen in front of them literally hours before. And worse still, they have been threatened with needles and attacked with smashed bottles.

The Tories seem to have given up on tackling retail crime

Theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shopworkers. As Usdaw consistently reminds us, having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can also cause issues beyond the theft itself like anxiety, fear and, in some cases, physical harm to retail workers.

Shoplifting costs the West of England and the country dear. Retailers are losing cash. Profit margins are cut by the loss of stock and the higher cost of security, and that of course only means one thing – price hikes for the rest of us law-abiding citizens.

We’re all losing out as shops are forced to raise prices to recoup costs, even as inflation and fuel bills continue to bite. Shoplifting is making the cost-of-living crisis even worse.

It feels like the Tories have given up on retail crime. There is a real perception amongst criminals that they can get away with shoplifting again and again. This is unsurprising when the government changed its policy so theft under £200 is considered a minor offence. But this level of out-of-control crime is unsustainable.

Earlier this year, the Federation of Independent Retailers and the British Independent Retailers Association called on the Home Office to provide security grants of up to £1,500 – while the Tories don’t seem to be listening, I am.

I’m taking steps to help retailers – as Labour would in government

That’s why I, as Labour mayor of the West of England, have decided to introduce ‘Safer Shops West‘, supporting local stores in my patch to install much-needed security measures.

Safer Shops West will allow independent shops to receive £2,000 towards the costs of security measures such as CCTV, screens, body cams and hand-held radios. I’m focusing my support on independent shops without the backup of ‘head office’. I’m helping places like your handy round-the-clock convenience shop and unique family-run stores that make our areas special.

I am confident Safer Shops West will make a difference in my area. But what we really need is a Labour government. The next Labour government has pledged a crackdown on shoplifting, and that can’t come soon enough.

Bringing back real neighbourhood policing with more officers and PCSOs on the beat will send a clear message. It’s also absolutely right to reverse the Tories’ decision not to treat thefts under £200 with the seriousness they merit. That will make it easier to take action against repeat offenders. There will also be tougher punishments for thugs who attack shopworkers. This in turn will have a great effect on my regional economy.

It’s clear with Labour, we can live up to our name as a “nation of shopkeepers”, but with the Tories we’ve become a “nation of shoplifters”.