EXPRESS CRUSADE

STOP THE SHOPLIFTERS

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In some respects, a dog attack is easier to handle than a pointed knife or a heroin addict's needle, which the security guards have faced in the past.

You don't have to be a detective to know that shoplifting in Britain is worse than ever. Retailers in England and Wales now face 500 more shoplifting incidents each day than they did a decade ago, official statistics show. Physical attacks are also more prevalent, with the Association of Convenience Stores recording 67,000 incidents of violence last year alone.

As part of the Express's Stop The Shoplifters campaign, and to see firsthand just how bad the situation is, I joined security firm H&T Experts' store detectives behind the scenes at Bannerbrook Spar run by store owners Blakemore.