'Shoplifters have made me one of busiest men in Britain'

...but even when we call them it's rare for police to turn up

- By Paul Jeeves CRIME EDITOR

A STORE detective operating in a crime hotspot has revealed how the £2.2billion shoplifting epidemic is keeping him one of Britain's busiest men.

John Kinnie has been patrolling stores for the past two years and says the sheer scale of retail crime is making it almost impossible to contain unless new powers are introduced.

At present security guards can make a citizen's arrest but many retailers tell staff not to intervene due to the increased threat of violence from organised crime gangs and because of the “grey area” over what constitutes reasonable force, leaving them open to legal claims.

Mr Kinnie says if he and colleagues had the power to detain and hold shoplifters until police attended then his role would be transformed.

The 50-year-old operates in stores across West Yorkshire and blends in with shoppers by walking around stores anonymously.

He says he is constantly looking for a number of crucial telltale signs that indicate an offender is planning to steal.