Close Menu
    One in four Britons admit to witnessing shoplifting but not reporting it
    United Kingdom

    One in four Britons admit to witnessing shoplifting but not reporting it

    Share.
    View 41 Comments

    41 Comments

    2. DarthPlagueisThaWise on

      Report it to who? The shop employees who can’t do anything? The police who won’t do anything? Not like CPS or courts could care about 90 convictions and counting.

    3. SinisterBrit on

      I think one in four Brits knows there’s no point as we’ve heard the police won’t do anything about it.

    4. Ok-Purpose5684 on

      I saw someone shoplifting but the guy clearly looked like he was struggling so I couldn’t give a rats arse tbh

    5. Harrry-Otter on

      What’s the point? More chance of Batman showing up than the police and I really doubt the minimum wage 18yr old on the till gives a shit.

    6. whyy_i_eyes_ya on

      Three in four brits must shop blindfolded! Who are we supposed to report it to exactly? Seems an utter waste of everyone’s time.

    7. Eoin_McLove on

      Notice how they’re wording it like it’s something to ‘admit’ to as if the witnesses should be ashamed of not doing anything.

    8. NinetiesSnowflake on

      I think if you’re paying £40 for your “small” shop, the Snickers bar in your picket should be complimentary.

    9. pointenglish on

      i did see a rough looking guy shoplifting some chips once but i just sort of let it go

    10. ExiledWiganer on

      Tesco make 4bn profit a year.

      Sorry, lads but you can sort that one out yourself.

      I’m not expecting some minimum wage member of staff sort it. So I’m not putting them in the awkward position by reporting it to them.

    11. Torco2 on

      It’s a time-sensitive crime, the thieves aren’t going to hang around for plod to arrive and “store security” & CCTV are mostly security theatre in practice.

      Plus the growing perception that the police are just f*cking useless. Certainly doesn’t help…

    12. 2L84T on

      Depends on the store. Little mom and pop store, definitely go full Dirty Harry. WH Smith, probably hand them my shopping bag in case they wanted to take more!

    13. Und3adShr3d on

      I got talking to a B&M manager a few months back while we both watched two lads walk in and out of the shop with stuff repeatedly. He told me that one lad once confronted them and actually got disciplined for it.

      I absolutely don’t blame anyone for not wanting to deal with these lot. What’s the alternative? Reporting it to the police? /s

    14. W35TH4M on

      I am a manager in a supermarket and even if I don’t bother reporting. The only ones that do, do it for the numbers for the store, not because of any concerns with crime

    15. Hadatopia on

      No point in confronting them because then I’m unnecessarily risking getting into a altercation in which the chance of me being prosecuted for self defence is non-zero and not a risk worth taking.

      I can tell a shop assistant but they’ve no reason to intervene because who the fuck is risking that for NMW or near minimum wage, you’ve got to be an idiot to risk any physical altercation.

      I can tell the police but they equally don’t give a shit. They wouldn’t come out to my house when ~£25K of items were stolen.. like they’re going to give a rats arse about things worth a fraction of that.

    16. _Hello_Hi_Hey_ on

      I saw one in tesco, the guy just forced through the door and left. Even the tesco staffs and security guards didn’t care to chase. Why should I?

      Phone thief, bike thief, break in, I reported so many times, zero progress with any cases. UK police is too busy with Palestinian Action.

    18. No-Victory-5519 on

      Don’t give a toss about big chains, they rip everybody off.
      Haven’t witnessed any shoplifting in small family stores and i think people know better.

    19. of_Ruins_and_Myth on

      I’m more concerned by the theft that is the record profits these greedy capitalists are bragging about, than shoplifting rates going up year-on-year?

      Oh look, supermarkets report record profits year-on-year. I’m sure there’s no connection…

    20. Merboo on

      I don’t work for Tesco, I’m not about unpaid labour.

      The times I’ve seen it, the people seemed like they genuinely needed what they were taking. None of my business 

    21. Actual-Peak9478 on

      There’s no point reporting shoplifting anymore though is there?

      I was in Greggs the other week and a guy in the queue just stole a sandwich and walked off. I mentioned it to the staff and they just shrugged and said to leave it, I can’t blame them but what does this attitude say about our society?

    22. Agreeable-Machine439 on

      People know they can get away with it. Shops with have security if they care about losing stock. Who wants to get stabbed over a sandwich? 

      Low level crime is nothing compared to the rich stealing from the entire country. I don’t see enough articles about shell companies, corruption and lobbying. No surprise. 

    24. managedheap84 on

      Admit to?

      Funny that the moral choice is framed as reporting somebody that’s probably just trying to survive – all so some megacorp that isn’t paying tax or wages makes a bit more profit…

      Zero sympathy when they’re putting security tags on baby formula and refusing to donate near spoiled food.

      Bunch of Inspector Javerts in this thread – wish I could say I was surprised but this is the England I know and grew up in.

      Personally I’d look the other way because I don’t think I could live with myself otherwise, but sure, pontificate from your lovely walled gardens.

    25. Busy_Nectarine_2829 on

      I work in a supermarket so I can tell you from experience, reporting it does nothing.

      We have regular shop lifters that are known to the police, when we call the police while the shoplifter is still in the store it’s still the same response “we’ll look into It” or “call us if It happens again” but do they ever come out and do anything? No.

      Customers frequently inform us of shoplifters but what power do us the shop workers or the customers have to stop them when even the police can’t be bothered to take it seriously or even follow up?

      I’ve been threatened after confronting shoplifters, even had some break the glass on the front door from kicking it. In this situation the police actually showed up! Know what they did? A dispersal order.. no arrests, no warnings, just an order to disperse from the area..

      Stealing has become so prolific because the thieves know that even if we call the police nothing will happen. Meanwhile police are knocking on people’s doors and trying to make arrests for facebook posts..

      I personally have lost all hope and respect for the police and this country as a whole.

      Sorry for the long af post, but this one is personal for me as I experience it daily.

    27. bbyn0money on

      Yeah but I get a little bit irked when the young till worker is having the same 3 crackheads everyday threaten them every day and everyone says ‘yeah but corporations make lots of profits hur dur’

    28. Diligent-Till-8832 on

      I’m not risking my neck for a billion dollar company.
      Especially not in this economy!

    29. Priscaney on

      Hardly the responsibility of the non-shoplifting general public to do anything about this. Don’t exactly want to risk getting my face smashed in for confronting shoplifters.

      Oh wait, I could win myself a SWEET *£1* if it’s at Iceland though!

      Reminds me of a David Firth animation.

    30. throwaway_ArBe on

      Shop staff won’t do anything, police won’t do anything, so why would I waste my time?

    31. PooWithEyes on

      I work at a supermarket and to be fair some people do tell me if they see someone putting something in their bag or whatever. It’s just that I don’t give a fuck.

    32. youtossershad1job2do on

      I’m not going to take a possible stabbing by the smack heads filling their pants with the steaks in Aldi. I’m not a “if you see a person shoplifting you didn’t” moron as it’s never ever food staples, it’s always the expensive stuff, but still not worth the risk.

    33. Karshu_Games on

      I saw it once in Tesco.
      Mentioned it to the nearest member of staff and then the security guard followed me round for the next 10 mins.

      When I left i told them next time I won’t report it.

    34. FatFarter69 on

      Literally saw a guy shoplifting today but he was a homeless guy so I’m not gonna jump in and stop him. He needed that food more than Sainsbury’s needed a fiver.

      Mind you, wouldn’t have jumped in and stopped him even if he wasn’t homeless. I couldn’t give a fuck if someone wants to rob a supermarket owned by a company that makes billions a year. I’m not their cheerleader.

    36. Alternative_Week_117 on

      Used to work for a supermarket.  In the 90’s we were treated like family, lots of perks, pay way above the minimum wage etc. we were used as security on top of our regular jobs, we were glad to help the business.
      Fast forward 20 years all perks taken away, treated like shit every shift.
      At the end if a shoplifter would have asked id have quite happily loaded a van for them.

    39. InternalCucumbers on

      Watched a man walk out quickly after reaching and grabbing a meal deal. Then I remember the food bank bin after the checkouts and how the place with all the food makes YOU, a poor, buy small amounts of food to put in the bin. In the store. The place where all the food is.

      What I’m saying is they deserve it, the shops and I ain’t no snitch

    41. ottoandinga88 on

      It is so wild that anyone would have the expectation that people would take time out of their day to try and get a fellow civilian arrested. Like I do not really recognise the version of ‘community’ that would have that as a value