Despite police crackdowns, the problem is plaguing the area with almost 2,000 cases reported in the last financial year alone.
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00:24 Hello and welcome to this Kentonite special. Shoplifting is a major problem in Medway with
00:31 almost 2,000 cases reported in the last financial year alone. Despite police crackdowns, the
00:38 problem is plaguing the area. We've been finding out how the local community has been affected.
00:44 Here's Anaya Mahmood with more.
00:46 I have seen shoplifters in the area. I think at the moment it's quite common. I think it's
00:52 primarily linked to the cost of living. There has always been shoplifters and people that
00:55 want something for free but in this time where everything is hard to feed yourself, to heat
01:00 your house, to find a home to begin with, it's so expensive.
01:04 Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. In Kent, it's becoming a huge problem. In fact,
01:11 it's one of the highest reported crimes to the police. Some shop owners have had to lock
01:16 away essentials such as baby formula. Others say they fear being attacked or physically
01:21 assaulted. It's not clear who they're targeting. From high-end supermarkets to local businesses,
01:27 no one seems to be safe.
01:29 I've come to meet Lewis King, the owner of family business Medway Tackle Supplies.
01:35 We had what we now know to be a group of people in. They kind of come in one at a time, so
01:42 they didn't appear as a group. While one is at the front of the counter, the other two
01:46 are kind of walking around the shop. Believe it or not, despite the size of them, they
01:51 got away with a carp fishing rod they're stealing off of us. We own everything in here. It's
01:57 not on loan. It's not pay for it when you sell it. We bought it all. They did another
02:02 shop the same day. We then had phone calls from other shops to say they recognised them.
02:06 They nicked stuff two weeks ago. They targeted about five or six shops in the south-east
02:12 within two weeks, all fish and tackle. We uploaded all the photos and videos and stuff
02:17 to this portal that the police gave us. Never heard anything. For me, that's more disappointing.
02:22 Elsewhere in Medway, this food bank is busier than ever.
02:27 The figures are going up and up, and the items people are asking for has gone up. Different
02:33 things as well. So it was just the food. Now it is more toiletries and sanitary wear and
02:38 toilet rolls. We do washing powder as well, some washing up liquid. If we get it donated,
02:44 then we give it straight back out again to people who need it.
02:46 We've seen data that suggests that more shoplifting incidents are people stealing essentials like
02:50 meat and fish and groceries. I mean, does that surprise you?
02:54 No, no, it doesn't surprise me at all.
02:56 A pharmacist told us that people are stealing baby formula from his store.
02:59 Yeah, it did get given some, and we gave it straight out to people. They came down and
03:03 got that. I mean, we're here from seven in the morning till one, and we do try and make
03:09 sure everybody has food.
03:11 With shoplifting incidents on the rise, independent businesses are struggling. Earlier today,
03:17 I spoke to Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association.
03:22 Hello, Andrew. What changes have your members seen in shoplifting in recent years?
03:31 Well, we've just done some research with members, and hot off the press, we can tell you that
03:37 95% of our members who responded to the survey, and it was a good response, have said that
03:42 they've seen an increase this year alone, and that's been part of an increasing trend
03:48 the last few years. But the last 12 months have been particularly noticeable in the level
03:53 of crime that's been, that they've experienced in their shops.
03:57 What impact can shoplifting have on a business?
04:02 Well, it's huge, large or small, but especially for the smaller retailers. I think what is
04:07 often lost in comprehension of shoplifting is that stock is like cash to a retailer.
04:14 It is basically what they need to sell in order to buy new stock coming in. So, if they
04:19 lose stock, any amount of stock means that they've lost cash effectively. And for some
04:24 retailers, margins are very small, and if they lose a couple of hundred pounds of stock
04:30 in a day, that could be their profit gone for the day as well. So, this is no menial
04:34 crime. This really is a crime that impacts businesses at all levels.
04:38 Just really quickly, what would your message be to shopkeepers? Just a quick summary of
04:44 advice you'd have for them, maybe like short snippet of advice.
04:52 Yeah, in many ways, for the small shopkeeper, it's not about technology. They can't invest
04:57 in security on their doors necessarily. What they need to create now is a network, is a
05:03 fast alert network system that they can work with each other across a high street. And
05:08 if there are incidents in one place, there can be a quick message sent out to others
05:13 so that those other shop owners and staff are on their toes watching out for potential
05:18 offenders. So, a fast alert network is crucial when dealing with this level of retail crime.
05:24 Thank you very much, Andrew, for your time today.
05:28 Thank you.
05:30 Whilst some shop owners are unconvinced that the authorities can handle the issue, Kent
05:35 police say they are cracking down on shoplifting. Reporter Thomas Morgan has the story.
05:41 Kent ranked 11th in England and Wales from 2022 to 2023 for the number of shoplifting
05:47 offences by police force area. In Medway, the most stolen items in the last five years
05:53 were meat and fish, confectionery, alcohol and cleaning products.
05:58 The police are here to protect the community. They've told us that they are trying to crack
06:03 down on shoplifting. Despite reports going down, small businesses are still frustrated
06:09 at a lack of police response. We spoke to Tim Aker from the Federation of Small Businesses
06:15 earlier, who told us the police need to do more.
06:18 There is always the problem with shoplifting. There's always the problem with petty crime.
06:22 The problem is, from our research, four in ten businesses that are victims of crime don't
06:27 bother to report it because they know it's a waste of time. It's not going to be followed
06:31 up. There's little to no chance of the perpetrators being caught. The problem is it's cheaper
06:36 to deter crime than it is to solve it. We have the resources of the security guard because
06:43 we all pay for it in our police precepts. So we all pay for it in our council tax bill.
06:47 It comes in as the top up. You ask the shopkeepers who are on the brunt of this shoplifting pandemic
06:51 whether they're getting value for money. That's a very important question for the police
06:55 and crime commissioner. We need more bobbies on the beat.
06:57 We put the concerns of small businesses directly to the police.
07:02 We have had a huge investment within our neighbourhood policing teams. We have put more police officers
07:07 back into neighbourhood policing, which is really positive. Our business owners will
07:13 see the benefit of that. They should see more police officers out on the beat.
07:17 I'd appeal to our business owners to just support us. Please continue to report crimes.
07:23 Please try and gain the evidence. Please be willing to give statements.
07:27 If people are shoplifting, it has a real impact on our communities, on our businesses.
07:32 And there is alternatives. If people are doing it out of desperation, we work really closely
07:38 with our partners. We have a lot of voluntary sector and a lot of partners that give help
07:43 to people that need the help. It's not necessary to steal people that are criminals and doing
07:48 it for their own benefit. We will do everything we can to make sure they're in court.
07:55 With me now is Matthew Scott, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, to talk about
08:00 the police response. Hello, Mr Scott.
08:03 Hi, thanks for having me.
08:06 What are police doing to combat shoplifting in Medway?
08:11 There's a number of initiatives, as you've heard from the local police. We've increased
08:16 the number of police officers that we're putting out onto the beat. So every ward will have
08:21 a named police officer that residents and businesses can go to. We work with local businesses
08:27 and others to keep people safe. We work with them on things like shop safe radios. We have
08:33 business crime reduction partnerships. And importantly, Kent Police is taking action
08:37 to prosecute those people who are caught shoplifting and stealing from businesses.
08:42 So there is a comprehensive response to shoplifting. It's something which I continue to raise
08:47 with the Chief Constable to make sure that they are continuing to be proactive on it.
08:51 So we do have a good response there. Obviously, we want to see more people being charged with
08:56 these offences and dealt with.
08:58 Why do you think shoplifting is a big problem in Medway?
09:04 There's a number of reasons, and this goes across not just Kent, but also across the
09:10 whole country. There are a few drivers of shoplifting. Firstly, is addiction. We know
09:15 that half of all acquisitive crime can be linked back to drug and alcohol addiction.
09:20 We do have people, as we've heard in the package, where there are concerns about cost
09:24 of living and inflation. That will drive some of those shoplifts. But also things like organised
09:30 crime, where people are stealing to order as well, where they can make money from it.
09:34 So there are a number of drivers behind shoplifting, and we need to get behind those. If people
09:39 need to be referred in for other services, if there's support that they're not getting,
09:43 we can do a lot of enforcement through the police, and they are doing that, which is
09:46 good to see. But we also need to be tackling the cycle of reoffending and dealing with
09:50 some of the other issues which are behind it.
09:52 Okay. And really quickly, so data we've seen says that since you were elected in 2016,
10:00 shoplifting offences in Medway are up by 11%. What would you say to reassure local business
10:08 owners and workers who are concerned by those figures?
10:11 We track shoplifting figures. What the important thing is, is the number of people who we're
10:16 taking action against. So we're seeing an increase in the number of people being charged
10:19 with these offences. We're seeing an increase in the solve rate. So because of the number
10:23 of challenges that we've seen, including addiction, including inflation and the cost of living
10:27 and organised crime, we've got dedicated responses to deal with local policing matters and shoplifting.
10:33 So I believe that we can say to businesses with confidence, please continue to do what
10:38 you can. Say to businesses with confidence, please continue to report, please make sure
10:42 that the police are aware of those issues. If you're not getting the response that you
10:46 want, contact our office so that we can support you with that.
10:48 Sorry to interrupt you slightly there. We've run out of time. But thank you very much,
10:53 Mr Scott, for coming on the show.
10:55 Tonight's special has highlighted a UK-wide problem, shoplifting. Recently, retailers
11:05 signed a British Retail Consortium's open letter asking the Home Secretary for help
11:10 to combat the crime. In Medway, the police are trying to tackle the problem, while local
11:15 shopkeepers try to protect their business. You've been watching this Kentonite special
11:20 report on KMTV.
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