Bath risks gaining new reputation as shoplifters' haven

ELEGANT Georgian Bath - home of Jane Austen costume dramas - is suffering a shoplifting epidemic, rising faster than anywhere else in Britain.

- Tim Newark

Offences shot up by 83% in the 12 months to September, the fastest rise in the entire country. This reflects a crisis in city centre policing across the nation.

Rough sleepers and drug addicts have plagued the centre of my home city for years, under a council which stood by while its city centre police station was closed then sold off.

But, more recently, I've noticed the gradual tightening of security as stores with multiple entrances have closed them, leaving just one way in and out.

I certainly haven't noticed any more policing on the streets.

When I first came to live in Bath 15 years ago, I'd see regular police on the beat - not anymore! Just this week, two teenagers were arrested for allegedly stabbing a man just yards away from the historic abbey. It's fair to say there's a growing sense of unease in Bath.

Downplaying the importance of shoplifting has resulted in a national surge in cases. And many readers across the country will recognise this in their own communities. With many perpetrators receiving fines or community orders, it's a crime with a low level of punishment, while the rewards can be enormous multiple thefts generating tens of thousands of pounds when the goods are sold on.