Brits divided on acceptability of shoplifting amid rising retail crime

Some Brits believe that shoplifting can be acceptable, states a recent report, despite the country experiencing an epidemic of store thefts.

According to a recent YouGov poll of 2,150 adults, 40 per cent of the public agreed that shoplifting food was sometimes acceptable if a person could not afford the goods. More than half of those asked (51 per cent) said it was never acceptable.

About 20 per cent believed it was sometimes acceptable to steal clothes from a store if they could not afford them, with 72 per cent saying it should never be accepted.

This was despite the fact that nearly three-quarters of the public (73 per cent) believed shoplifting was a serious or fairly serious crime, while only a quarter (25 per cent) felt it was not very serious or not serious at all.

There was a distinct divide politically between acceptance of the crime. Only 20 per cent of Tory voters believed that food theft was acceptable if a person could not afford it, compared with 50 per cent of Labour voters and 44 per cent of Liberal Democrat supporters.

The staggering figures come as stores across the country are reporting two thefts a minute amid a growing shoplifting epidemic.

Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to 31 August 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion.

There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.

The BRC said many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country.

Commenting on the BRC's findings, Helen Dickinson said, "Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes.

"Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive."

The BRC said the amount spent on crime prevention also hit a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion in 2022-23.

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