Moment brazen shoplifters in Lidl get stopped by hero employee before abandoning a mountain of stolen goods

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Footage has captured the unbelievable moment a pair of brazen shoplifters were stopped in Lidl by a hero employee before abandoning a mountain of stolen goods.
Two women were caught on camera as they emptied their pockets of stolen goods after being barred from exiting the budget supermarket.
In the background of the clip, a passer-by asks the brave employee if the store is 'calling the police on them' to which the man nods his head in confirmation.
Meanwhile the shoplifters, dressed in black leggings, matching white t-shirts and gilets, are filmed abandoning a mountain of stolen goods.
Their haul appears to include: sanitary pads, dishwasher tablets and 12 bottles of Lynx deodorant.
The astonishing clip has been viewed more than 2.5million times on Instagram and TikTok with the caption reading: 'How do people actually do this?'
Taking to the comments to express their disgust, one person commented: 'It's all going right back on the shelves after being down their pants! Yikes!'
A second user added: 'They don't even have any shame.'
@orson0910
£365 for all of that #stealin #ho #fyp
♬ original sound - orson
It comes as a police chief warned that some shoplifters 'feel they can rob shops with impunity'.
Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said more robust police interventions and 'meaningful criminal justice measures' are needed to prevent reoffending.
Shoplifting hit a record high in 2024, with the number of offences surpassing 500,000 for the first time, up 20 per cent from 2023.
'What on earth has happened to our high streets and our city centres?' Ms Bourne, the police and crime commissioner for Sussex, asked.
'Why do some people feel they can rob shops with impunity and abuse and assault staff without any fear of retribution?'
She argued that there must be rehabilitation for some offenders as well as 'significant alternatives to our overcrowded prisons.
Ms Bourne also announced Sussex will see 'the first electronic tagging scheme for persistent shoplifters'.
The force will work with the courts on how to issue the tags and with industries to see how they can be monitored.
Writing in The Telegraph on Saturday, the policing chief also criticised the 'purist application of data protection law' advising shopkeepers not to share images of suspected offenders.
She said she is pleased that forces including Sussex Police will roll out live facial recognition cameras in specially-adapted police vans.
It was reported that officers spoke to a shopkeeper in Wrexham after he posted a sign referring to 'scumbag shoplifters'.
North Wales Police said it did not appear he had committed any offence.
Ms Bourne said it appeared to be an example of 'warranted officers of the law policing the potential for hurt feelings'.
She asked: 'How have we got to the point where police forces are more worried about upsetting career criminals than catching them?'
Jon Cummins, Assistant Chief Constable from Avon and Somerset Police, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that wider societal issues including poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and addiction are contributing to the shoplifting spike.
He said on Saturday: 'If they see somebody shoplifting, my advice to them is they must call us... not to intervene. We clearly want to be attending and will be attending reports'.
Ms Bourne also cautioned against members of the public attempting to apprehend shoplifters.
They may be armed and people 'run the risk' of committing assault, unlawful restraint or wrongful arrest.
Earlier this week, supermarket chain Iceland said it would offer customers a £1 reward if they spot shoplifters in the act.
The retailer's boss, Richard Walker, said any shoppers who point out offenders to members of staff will receive a payment to their membership card.
It comes as the Government agreed that shoplifting should be called 'shop theft' to avoid downplaying its seriousness.
In a letter to ministers, peers warned the 'outdated' word was 'trivialising the severity of the offence' and called for it to be phased out in legislation and guidance.
The Government responded to commit to using 'shop theft' where appropriate, the Daily Telegraph reported.
And the national police unit for organisations acquisitive crime, Opal, also said it would encourage the use of the term in its general communications.
The letter from peers sent in November said: 'The use of the outdated term 'shoplifting' serves to trivialise the serious, organised nature of an increasing element of shop theft which is having a devastating effect on the retail sector. We recommend its use should be phased out.'
In response, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'The Government will use the expression 'shop theft" where appropriate.'
Shoplifting rates have almost doubled in two decades, with three thefts a minute recorded across England and Wales in the year to March.
There were 530,643 reported to the police in this time, up 20 per cent on the previous year's 444,022.
The problem is becoming increasingly rife in chemists, with an estimated increase of 88 per cent in the theft of drugs and medical supplies in the past 12 months.
Sir Keir Starmer has made tackling shoplifting one of his top priorities since taking office, and pledged to spend an extra £200m on neighbourhood policing, as well as making assaulting a shop worker a more serious offence.
The Prime Minister came under criticism this week, however, for failing to refer to shoplifters as 'scumbags.'