Labour admits shoplifting has got ‘out of hand'

Telegraph

5 days ago

Shoplifting has 'got out of hand', a Labour minister has admitted.
The Telegraph revealed on Friday that police officers had told a shopkeeper to take down a sign calling shoplifters 'scumbags'.
The UK data watchdog has also suggested that pictures of suspected shoplifters should not be displayed in stores.
But asked if shopkeepers were right or wrong to display the photographs, Alex Davies-Jones, a Labour MP, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Monday morning: 'What we do know is that shoplifting has got out of hand in the country.
'That is why we have taken the action that we have done in our Crime and Policing Bill.'
Asked again if shopkeepers should be displaying the photographs, she said: 'I think it is on all of us to be aware of what is going on in our local communities.
'In my own community of Pontypridd I know that my local shopkeepers share information about prolific shoplifters because that is what they have had to do.'
Last week, The Telegraph disclosed that Rob Davies, a North Wales shopkeeper, had put up a handwritten note in his store following repeated thefts that read: 'Due to scumbags shoplifting, please ask for assistance to open cabinets.'
But officers from North Wales Police attended his retro shop in Wrexham and told him to take down the sign because it could cause offence.
Advice from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says putting up images of thieves in a local area, such as in shop windows, 'may not be appropriate' behaviour.
Its advice page for shopkeepers on how to tackle shoplifting said retailers 'must only share personal information that's proportionate and necessary to achieve your purpose'.
Asked if she was saying that it was 'perfectly acceptable' for images of shoplifters to be displayed in shops, Ms Davies-Jones added: 'I think we need to be aware of these prolific criminals.
'That is why this Labour Government is taking action to tackle this through the Crime and Policing Bill because people have had enough of shoplifting.
'It is harming our local businesses and… it is unfair that they are having to work hard and using their good money and it is pushing up prices because of shoplifting.'
The ICO said that data protection laws could help retailers tackle shoplifting by sharing criminal offence data 'as long as it's necessary and proportionate'.
In a blog post from 2023, the regulator said: 'We want businesses to be able to take action to prevent crime, but we want people who aren't breaking the law to be able to go about their day without unjustified intrusion.'
Actions that the ICO recommends as 'appropriate' to retailers include sharing suspect details with the police, or information about the incident with a manager or another store nearby.
But under actions that it says 'may not be appropriate', it includes local businesses sharing images between each other on a messaging platform, or in a staff room.
It also cautions against 'putting images in the local area, such as shop windows and lampposts. You must only share personal information in a way that's proportionate and necessary to achieve your purpose'.