 Tonia Antoniazzi, Member of Parliament for Gower, has called on the UK Government to take action to protect businesses and consumers amid rising rates of shoplifting.
According to data released in February by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body representing retail businesses in the UK, incidents of customer theft have risen to a record 16.7 million, up from 8 million the previous year. The BRC estimates the cost to retailers last year of this shoplifting epidemic was £1.8bn, up from £950mn and the highest amount on record. The impact on shop workers has been clear with incidents of violence and abuse of shop workers soaring by 50% over the past year. The BRC estimates a staggering 1,300 incidents each day last year of racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assaults, and threats with weapons. Tonia Antoniazzi spoke to local shop workers and owners in Gorseinon to discuss their experiences and concerns on the frontline of this surge in shoplifting and violence. Tonia backed plans to tackle soaring rates of shop lifting by reversing the decision by the Conservative Government in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to downgrade the police response to the theft of items worth less than £200. Under the 2014 Act, any incidents involving goods below £200 would have to be tried as “summary only offences.” This has led to many defendants being able to plead guilty by post and pay a small fine - thereby avoiding a court appearance. In practice, it has acted as a signal to the police to deprioritise any enforcement for shoplifting of goods below £200 at all – even in cases of repeat and organised shoplifting - with arrests for theft offences falling from 136,000 in 2018 to just 78,000 in 2022. Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower said: “Too many communities and high streets are being blighted by staggering increases in shoplifting, up 30 per cent in the last year alone. Since 2010, the Conservative government has decimated neighbourhood policing, leaving our town centres unprotected, and introduced a rule meaning that shoplifting of goods under £200 isn’t being investigated. This Tory ‘Shoplifter’s Charter’ has left local businesses and retail workers at the mercy of criminals. "Enough is enough. Labour called for tougher action on criminals who assault shop-workers and only in the past month did the Government finally act. The Tories should follow Labour’s lead again and remove the £200 rule that is letting shoplifters off the hook. “Britain cannot afford more damaging decline from the Conservatives on crime and justice. Labour will restore the rule of law on Britain’s high streets and in our town centres. More widely, Labour have pledged to tackle crime across England and Wales by reintroducing neighbourhood policing with 13,000 more police and PCSOs on the streets, including a named officer to lead on tackling anti-social behaviour.
This week, my thoughts have been with the family and friends of Sarah Everard, as they watched her murderer receive a whole life sentence. I think about how afraid Sarah must have been. She was walking home.
My thoughts have also been with the family and friends of Sabina Nessa, as a man appeared in court accused of her murder. I think about the school children Sabina could have inspired over her teaching career. She was meeting a friend. Today, I think about the front cover of Friday 1st October's Northern Echo, and the lives behind the photos:
I think about the advice given to women this week, to challenge lone male officers who approach them. Another piece of behaviour-altering advice to women who have already been told, for example, not to walk alone but if they have to, to walk busy routes in well lit areas, like Sarah Everard did. Then I think about the future. I think about the women and girls who will go out this weekend - to the pub, to a friend's house, to the park, to the shop - and how they will feel about their safety. I think about the steps that need to be taken to prevent more names like Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa becoming part of our vernacular. Back in July, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published an interim report which stated that fundamental system-wide change is needed in the Police to tackle the 'epidemic' of offending against women and girls. It recommended that the Government introduce a full-time national police lead for violence against women and girls , and that it should be given the same priority as terrorism. In their final report published in September, HMICFRS make 5 overarching recommendations:
I believe the report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary highlights the Government’s continued failure to protect women and girls adequately. I fully support all of the recommendations in this report. I also continue to support calls for a comprehensive Bill on violence against women and girls. The safety of women and girls is essential to society. Thoughts, prayers and kind words are no longer enough. Advice on when not to go out, where not to go to or who not to talk to is no longer enough. The UK Government need to prove that they are serious about this issue, and soon, by implementing the recommendations of the HMICFRS report in full. I don't want to write another tribute or light another candle. Further reading
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