I confronted a shoplifter but I was made to feel like the criminal
What made it even more enraging was that the Tesco staff could see him and they didn't do a thing about it. They just stood there and watched, looking totally unbothered.
I was passing the shoplifter as he started sweeping a second shelf of medicines into his bag and I couldn't stop myself: I loudly exclaimed: 'Really?' It was almost a reflex – I was so shocked and angry.
I was scared as well. Anyone who's bold enough to shoplift in broad daylight, in front of people, is clearly not afraid – he might have had a knife and he could easily have stabbed me. I'm not an idiot, I do know the dangers, but I couldn't help reacting.
In fact, all it took was me saying that one word to make the guy leave. Although he didn't even try to run: he just sauntered towards the door and b-----ed off.
Maybe I should have let it go, but the staff's level of aloofness really got to me. I started questioning them, asking: 'Are you seeing this? Why did you just stand there? Why didn't you say anything?' One woman who works there was just as unbothered as the shoplifter. She shrugged and said: 'Oh, we're not paid to confront thieves.' She pointed out that they've got CCTV, and she did say they would call the police later.
But when I asked 'Is this the new normal – are you just going to smile and nod?', the staff started shouting at me, saying they're not paid enough to deal with it. I do understand, and I'm not expecting workers to rush in like Superman, but they didn't even address it. They just let it happen. As the staff were shouting, I thought: 'Where was this attitude when that thief was raiding your shop?'
I then said 'Well, what if I take my shopping and just leave without paying?' and started walking towards the door, although obviously I came back and paid.
Even more shocking, another customer (a man in his 50s with a long ponytail) then started screaming at me: 'Leave it, just leave it!' He went purple in the face. He was furious that I'd said anything to the staff – he was angrier about that than about the shoplifter. I was completely stunned.
I felt like I was going mad. That's why I'd said: 'Are you seeing this?' – I was half wondering if I needed to visit my GP and get my eyes tested! The staff made me feel as if I was the person in the wrong.
This wasn't a one-off either. The previous Sunday afternoon, another man was trying to snatch food from the same store, saying something like: 'This Englishman is hungry.' On that occasion the staff did tell him: 'We're recording this.' He then ransacked the store for a few minutes, making a huge mess, although he didn't steal anything in the end.
I called the police afterwards and they sounded totally unfazed, even bored. I offered to stay until they came and give a description of the man, or send them the photos I'd taken of the mess, but they didn't take me seriously. The policeman said 'Nah mate, you get on home.'
After the second incident, when I'd confronted the shoplifter, I called Tesco headquarters. I explained that this might be happening on Sundays because for some reason they don't have a security person on the door on a Sunday – on the other days of the week, the person in that role wears a yellow vest and a body cam.
The woman at Tesco HQ said they would think about having a security person on Sundays, but she quickly added that they wouldn't physically stop a thief either, they would just record it. That seems insane to me. I used to feel a bit safer when the doorman was there, but now I know they can't actually touch the thief, I don't feel safe at all. (An official Tesco spokesman, contacted via their press office, says simply: 'The safety of our customers and colleagues is our absolute priority, and we have made significant investments to keep everyone across our business safe.') I've also written to my local MP but I'm not feeling hopeful.
My question is: 'What's next?' I saw two incidents of shoplifting in two weeks, so will this start happening on a daily basis? The guy stealing drugs wasn't a desperate single mum taking a sandwich to feed her child – I would help someone like that – or a kid making a stupid mistake. This was a man old enough to know exactly what he's doing, and stealing that much medicine is worrying. Is he going to use it to make other drugs? That's not just 'shoplifting' – that's a raid.
On my way home, I actually saw the guy again. He was delivering some of his stolen goods to a woman in a house close to where I live. That's terrifying.
I've lived in the neighbourhood for 10 years and it's a lovely, family-oriented, village-type community. But this sort of incident is exactly how neighbourhoods go downhill. I worry it could become a hotspot for crime. There are some neighbourhoods we talk about with fear or disgust: I would be heartbroken if my area became like that.
I'm originally from Turkey, and I've seen this first-hand: cities overrun with crime becoming terrible places to live. I know how this ends.
It upsets me that this is institutional. I worry this could become a hotspot for crime, and the police don't seem to care. I feel like I'm on my own.
I posted about my experience in my local Facebook group, and I was baffled by the responses. Lots of people were vehemently against confronting shoplifters. One woman told me to mind my own business. If you even mention the idea, you get labelled socially conservative and it becomes political. Just for saying you're against crime, really?
The frustrating thing is that this affects all of us. It makes our neighbourhoods unsafe, and it puts up prices for paying customers. But everyone seems to have given up.
If we do nothing, criminals become emboldened. I'm sure they'll be back in that Tesco because they know the staff won't move a muscle. So why not steal the whole shelf?
I won't be there to see it, though. After this horrible experience, I'm never going to Tesco again.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Victim of catfish predator says she will always be angry her innocence was stolen
A victim of prolific catfish offender Max Hollingsbee has said she will always be angry that he stole her innocence. A complaint made by Immy (not her real name) led police to discover a litany of sex offences against other teenage girls committed by the Co Armagh man. Immy has said she now wants to use her experiences to help other victims. Hollingsbee, 21, of Orient Circle, Lurgan, was sentenced in May to five years and two months after admitting scores of child sexual abuse crimes against girls. He had pleaded guilty to some 42 charges with 14 victims identified. Immy, from the Surrey area, was 15 when she met Hollingsbee, who was using a fake profile, through the Wizz app three years ago. She said: 'He presented himself as being 16 and male. There were photographs which I know now weren't him. 'At the time I didn't see anything wrong with it. I thought you could only talk to people within a certain age range and you had to prove your age. 'We just had normal conversations. I was quite vulnerable at the time. It is an age where you want boys to like you, you want them to show interest in you. He was and he made me feel special, he made me feel seen. 'Now I now it was all part of his plan.' She added: 'Once he had built up the trust I added him on my Snapchat. He started with more compliments, flattery, things like that. 'At 15 years old that is all a girl wants to hear. He knew that and he definitely played on that vulnerability.' The situation escalated quickly with Hollingsbee demanding that Immy send him explicit photographs. She said: 'He would give me very specific instructions. I didn't like it but I didn't know how to say no. I wasn't confident enough to say no. 'I didn't want him to stop talking to me and I didn't want him to stop giving me that attention. 'I did send photos. I obviously regret that but I've never been made to feel embarrassed and I've never been made to feel that it was my fault.' Hollingsbee then attempted to blackmail the teenager, stating he would share the photographs with other people she knew if she did not send more. He did share the images with one of Immy's female friends. At this point she told her mother what was happening. She said: 'That was very scary for me. I was in such a state of panic it was like I blacked out, I was there and I was talking to my mum but I've no idea what I said to her. 'I showed her what was going on and just remember crying in a ball on the floor of her room.' Once police were alerted, Hollingsbee was arrested in Northern Ireland and his devices seized, leading to the discovery of the other victims. Thousands of photos and videos of underage girls performing sexual acts were found on his devices, obtained by blackmail or by hacking their social media accounts. Immy also helped police to track him down. He had given her his phone number and she used to BeReal app to discover his true profile and name. Immy said: 'Finding out there were so many other girls who hadn't said anything was the most gut-wrenching feeling in the entire world because I couldn't imagine not being able to tell someone. 'That was the hardest part, they were sitting at home so scared, so terrified and I knew how they felt because I had been there. 'Knowing they were so scared on their own was the worst feeling. Quite a few of them were younger than me.' She added: 'I am angry, I will always be angry at him for doing that to me and taking my innocence away from me. 'That is what he did. He played on my vulnerability, played on my weaknesses. I was so used and no 15-year-old should ever have to deal with a man like that ever. ' Kids do make mistakes. It is important I am able to talk about it because they need someone their age to say it could happen to you. It can happen. If you don't feel you have got the support at home, the police will take action. They did everything they way I hoped they would.' Immy said she hopes Hollingsbee is able to confront the impact of his actions when he is released from prison. She said: 'I would be happy knowing that he sees the wrong he did. 'I have made a lot of effort to not let it change my outlook about people. 'Not everyone is like that, he is a very specific type of person. But it did take a big toll, I am not as trusting as I used to be. 'But I have stopped a lot of people, I hope, from having to deal with him.' Immy is hoping to study psychology at university and to use her experiences to help other victims. She said: 'I want to be able to go into schools and work with kids, using my experience to make something good. 'I think it is so important that I make something good out of a bad situation. 'I am hoping I will be able to make a difference.'
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Victim of catfish predator Max Hollingsbee: ‘I will always be angry at him for taking my innocence away'
A victim of prolific catfish offender Max Hollingsbee has said she will always be angry that he stole her innocence. A complaint made by Immy (not her real name) led police to discover a litany of sex offences against other teenage girls committed by Hollingsbee. Immy has said she now wants to use her experiences to help other victims. Hollingsbee, 21, of Orient Circle, Lurgan, was sentenced in May to five years and two months after admitting scores of child sexual abuse crimes against girls. He had pleaded guilty to some 42 charges with 14 victims identified. Immy, from the Surrey area, was 15 when she met Hollingsbee, who was using a fake profile, through the Wizz app three years ago. She said: 'He presented himself as being 16 and male. There were photographs which I know now weren't him. 'At the time I didn't see anything wrong with it. I thought you could only talk to people within a certain age range and you had to prove your age. 'We just had normal conversations. I was quite vulnerable at the time. It is an age where you want boys to like you, you want them to show interest in you. He was and he made me feel special, he made me feel seen. 'Now I now it was all part of his plan.' She added: 'Once he had built up the trust I added him on my Snapchat. He started with more compliments, flattery, things like that. 'At 15 years old that is all a girl wants to hear. He knew that and he definitely played on that vulnerability.' The situation escalated quickly with Hollingsbee demanding that Immy send him explicit photographs. She said: 'He would give me very specific instructions. I didn't like it but I didn't know how to say no. I wasn't confident enough to say no. 'I didn't want him to stop talking to me and I didn't want him to stop giving me that attention. 'I did send photos. I obviously regret that but I've never been made to feel embarrassed and I've never been made to feel that it was my fault.' Hollingsbee then attempted to blackmail the teenager, stating he would share the photographs with other people she knew if she did not send more. He did share the images with one of Immy's female friends. At this point she told her mother what was happening. She said: 'That was very scary for me. I was in such a state of panic it was like I blacked out, I was there and I was talking to my mum but I've no idea what I said to her. 'I showed her what was going on and just remember crying in a ball on the floor of her room.' Once police were alerted, Hollingsbee was arrested in Northern Ireland and his devices seized, leading to the discovery of the other victims. Thousands of photos and videos of underage girls performing sexual acts were found on his devices, obtained by blackmail or by hacking their social media accounts. Immy also helped police to track him down. He had given her his phone number and she used to BeReal app to discover his true profile and name. Immy said: 'Finding out there were so many other girls who hadn't said anything was the most gut-wrenching feeling in the entire world because I couldn't imagine not being able to tell someone. 'That was the hardest part, they were sitting at home so scared, so terrified and I knew how they felt because I had been there. 'Knowing they were so scared on their own was the worst feeling. Quite a few of them were younger than me.' She added: 'I am angry, I will always be angry at him for doing that to me and taking my innocence away from me. 'That is what he did. He played on my vulnerability, played on my weaknesses. I was so used and no 15-year-old should ever have to deal with a man like that ever. 'Kids do make mistakes. It is important I am able to talk about it because they need someone their age to say it could happen to you. It can happen. If you don't feel you have got the support at home, the police will take action. They did everything they way I hoped they would.' Immy said she hopes Hollingsbee is able to confront the impact of his actions when he is released from prison. She said: 'I would be happy knowing that he sees the wrong he did. 'I have made a lot of effort to not let it change my outlook about people. 'Not everyone is like that, he is a very specific type of person. But it did take a big toll, I am not as trusting as I used to be. 'But I have stopped a lot of people, I hope, from having to deal with him.' Immy is hoping to study psychology at university and to use her experiences to help other victims. She said: 'I want to be able to go into schools and work with kids, using my experience to make something good. 'I think it is so important that I make something good out of a bad situation. 'I am hoping I will be able to make a difference.'
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Minority Report-style map of Britain that aims to stop criminals before they strike by identifying local areas most at risk is being developed by experts
Experts are creating an AI-driven crime map of England and Wales that aims to stop criminals before they strike. The Government today announced a £4million investment in the futuristic project, which will use official data to identify local areas that are likely to see criminal activity, such as knife offences and anti-social behaviour. Police will then target these locations with extra resources, including patrols and visits to the homes of convicted criminals, in the hope of intervening before any offences take place. Peter Kyle, Science and Technology Secretary, said the project would draw on data from police, councils and social services, including criminal records, previous offence reports and the behavioural patterns of known offenders. The Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge will see experts from universities and businesses tasked with creating the model with the aim of making it operational across England and Wales by 2030. 'We want to identify areas that have a higher probability of experiencing crime,' Mr Kyle told the Daily Mail during a visit to the Met's central communications command centre. 'That means police can ensure officers are in the area and are able to prevent these crimes happening in the first place or respond before they escalate. 'The Met and other forces have an enormous amount of data on historic and emerging crime. By using that - and incorporating data from other authorities such as local councils - the model can become more accurate as time passes.' AI can identify patterns and links in evidence and sift through data more quickly than humans. Civil liberties campaigners have previously raised ethical concerns about the use of algorithms to try to predict crimes in advance. But Mr Kyle said the government's crime map would only use official data and not information from private sources, such as social media. He insisted any interventions police make based on the map's findings would be subject to 'human oversight' and insisted the system was merely an extension of traditional policing methods. 'Police forces throughout history have always looked at individuals who are committing crime and patterns of behaviour that indicate they will commit crime again - this is not new,' he said. 'But in an era where we are able to use digital technology and data to assist in that process we can't ignore the power of that technology to keep us all safe. 'This will be one tool alongside many others that crime fighters use. Human oversight and respect for the experience of senior officers will always remain at the forefront. 'We will not be using digital technology to blindly identify individuals on a vague probability. That is not what we are talking about.' The initial £4m investment aims to deliver a series of initial prototypes by April 2026. My Kyle spoke to the Daily Mail on a visit to the Met's Central Command Communications Centre in Lambeth, where he also viewed other tech innovations including 'first responder' drones. The gadgets, which will be deployed in London in October, can be sent to the scene of emergency incidents in minutes to give officers an overview of the situation and gather evidence. The Mail also saw a demonstration of a smaller device that can be used to search buildings for hazards, such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), before they are raided by armed police. Mr Kyle also viewed a van fitted with facial recognition cameras, which are already used in London and are now being rolled out across seven police forces – Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire. According to officials, the technology has already been used to make 580 arrests in London over the last year, including 52 registered sex offenders. Campaign group Big Brother Watch claimed the move 'represents a significant expansion of the surveillance state.' But the government maintains the technology will only be used to catch 'high–harm' offenders with rules to ensure 'safeguards and oversight'. 'What we are doing is ensuring that those people who are known perpetrators of crime are found, identified and brought to justice so they can't commit more crimes,' said Mr Kyle. 'People should be reassured that we keep people's digital information safe and secure and always act appropriately. Anyone who is not identified by these cameras has their data immediately and permanently deleted. 'There are criminals out there using data and digital technology to commit crimes. It would be absurd to suggest we don't use this technology to keep people safe.' This week, the Home Office said every community across England and Wales had now been assigned a 'named, contactable' officer to handle reports of crimes such as anti-social behaviour. Their details will be made available for residents on their local force's website, it is understood. The pledge was made as part of the Government's previously announced Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, under which forces have committed to respond to neighbourhood queries within 72 hours.
