POLICE TOLD: END SHOP THEFT SPREES NOW!

THE Daily Express today demands action to halt the shoplifting crisis that is costing stores more than £2.2billion a year.

- By Paul Jeeves Crime Editor

The target of our new campaign - that police must attend every reported theft - is the one move that store bosses say would stop the epidemic, catch more crooks and provide reassurance to owners and staff.

Organised crime gangs, from home and abroad, carry out raids with military efficiency.

Security

Meanwhile, “opportunistic stealing” sprees by professionals and some hard-up pensioners soar to record levels.

Even vulnerable children are turning to thieving for criminals exploiting them.

The Express crusade insists that police and politicians alike “Stop The Shoplifters”.

With shop prices pushed higher by the cost of extra security, Lucy Whing - anti-crime policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium trade group - warned last night: "Something has got to change.

Retailers have spent £1.8billion on security measures last year and the Government has promised more resources to tackle the issue. The missing piece of the puzzle is a commitment from police forces to attend all incidents reported, particularly when violence is involved." Retailers think the Government's £200million neighbourhood policing plan and moves to make assaulting a shopworker a stand-alone offence will help but admit their trust in many forces is broken.

Shoplifting offences recorded in England and Wales last year topped 500,000 for the first time, with 530,643 offences logged a 20% rise on the previous 12 months and the most since current recording practices began in 2002-2003.

Meanwhile more than one in 10 retail staff have been threatened with weapons in the past year as shoplifting turns increasingly violent.