DAYLIGHT ROBBERY

Shoplifting has become a 'normal thing' in many towns and cities but retailers say the perpetrators aren't always those you might expect

- Paige Oldfield

A STAFF member carries out a routine stock check at a popular high street store. The suspected items are down again – chicken, steak and Nurofen tablets.

She goes to the back room to check CCTV. To her shock, it’s not one of the usual culprits she sees swiping items from the shelves. It’s an elderly man she doesn’t recognise.

“It’s happening three times a day, if not more,” the staff member, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Manchester Evening News. “It’s so much worse recently.

“It’s people you’re not expecting too – some of the old clientele you wouldn’t even expect. When you look at the stuff they’re shoplifting, it’s not essential.

“Nurofen is a popular item, so is chicken and steak. We stock check every few hours and look through CCTV if any of it is low.

“We’ve started installing facial recognition cameras now. Some days the amount stolen is into the hundreds. There’s been a massive increase.”

Shoplifting and anti-social behaviour has become a problem in the Leigh area of Wigan in recent times, with police announcing a crackdown earlier this month.

Officers have upped patrols in the town while the council has introduced safety marshals so people can “enjoy public spaces”.

Peter Freeman, who owns The Pictorium Gallery on Leigh high street, says he’s been forced to hike his prices by two per cent to make up for stolen items.

His store was targeted so badly over the festive period the 62-year-old had to keep a staff member on his door at all times.