Streets are 'Wild West' as 'shoplifting ignored'

ENGLAND'S high streets have been compared to the Wild West, with five in six reported shoplifting offences not prosecuted in the past three years.

- Jon Austin

For the period 2020-22 there were 769,374 shoplifting offences recorded in England, according to the latest Home Office figures. There were charges in 124,577 cases (16 per cent) meaning 644,797 (84 per cent) of offenders evaded justice.

But a private security boss revealed even these figures did not reflect the true scale of offending, and were merely the tip of the iceberg.

He said police and even some chain stores had now stopped taking action against offenders.