Shocking lawlessness of shoplifting gangs exposed

BRITAIN is becoming a "state of lawlessness" after a 44% increase in shoplifting over the past 12 months, a report has warned.

- Paul Jeeves

The crime epidemic is seeing brazen thieves setting up market stalls in pubs to flog goods they shamelessly shoplift from nearby stores.

In some cases, gangs even use wheelie bins to raid stores, with staff too terrified to intervene as shelves are ruthlessly emptied.

The British Retail Consortium has warned that 16.7 million incidents recorded last year had cost retailers an astonishing £1.8billion.

Now the Stealing With Impunity report by Emmeline Taylor, a professor of criminology at City, University of London, has exposed how lawless Britain's high streets have become.

The research, prepared in partnership with the Co-op store chain, found that despite investing £200million in preventative measures over recent years the retailer suffered 330,000 incidents of shoplifting last year.