Latest news with #DameDianaJohnson
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Rampant shoplifting is the ultimate symbol of our descent into anti-Western decadence
Theft is wrong. Private property is sacrosanct. Shoplifting must be stamped out. We are governed by malicious, ignorant fools who cannot grasp the importance of such precepts, and who are vandalising our social order through their negligence, arrogance and suicidal empathy. Take the grotesque moral inversion exhibited by Labour when it tells shopkeepers not to place 'high value' items close to store entrances, in effect blaming the victims of crime for enticing shoplifters. A minister, Dame Diana Johnson, complained that 'some stores…put bottles of alcohol at the front of the store which obviously people will nick.' Note the use of the colloquial 'nick', which trivialises the violation, demonstrates an inability to take shoplifting seriously and implies that it is a cheeky, opportunistic, almost child-like act of rule-bending. The rest of Johnson's intervention is equally reprehensible. Why would a passer-by 'obviously' feel compelled to grab a bottle if they happen to see it? What kind of excuse is that? Why couldn't they choose not to steal? Do they entirely lack agency? Are we 'noble savages', unable to control our impulses, or are we civilised, demanding self-control, deferred gratification and respect for moral tenets such as 'thou shall not steal'? Labour, in common with many Tories, civil servants, charities and the police establishment, succumbed long ago to 'progressive' woke ideology. This divides the world into oppressors and oppressed, powerful and powerless, bad and good. Shop-owners are part of the capitalist class, and regardless of whether they are a major chain or the local independent corner shop, are tainted: they control the 'power structure' and are inherently guilty of racism, sexism and every sin. Shoplifters are defined, equally reflexively, as oppressed, latter-day Jean Valjeans, after Victor Hugo's character in Les Misérables jailed for 19 years for stealing bread for his sister's starving children.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Don't put expensive items at front of stores because ‘people will nick them', minister tells shopkeepers
Shopkeepers should not place 'high value' items close to store entrances because 'obviously people will nick', a Labour minister has told shopkeepers. It comes after new figures showed that shoplifting is at a record high, with retailers accusing police of not doing enough to tackle the problem. Asked about the issue, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said expensive items such as alcohol should not be displayed at the front of stores and said shopkeepers needed to do more to deter shoplifters. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dame Diana said: 'I think stores need to play their part in making sure that items that are high value are not at the front of the store because that is an issue in some stores, that they put bottles of alcohol at the front of the store, which obviously people will nick. 'If they are going to steal to resell, they will nick items like that. So I think it is not just one thing here, it has to be an approach with the retailers, with the government and with the police to work together.' But she warned members of the public against confronting shoplifters, after Tory Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Matthew Barber claimed people had a duty to stand up to shoplifters rather than relying solely on police officers. 'I would not advise people to tackle an individual who was stealing. I came across someone stealing in a store in Hull. 'I went straight to the assistant to tell them what was happening. I felt that was the best thing to do. 'Obviously, it is a judgment for individuals to take, but I am worried about people feeling they need to have a go. I don't think that is appropriate', she said. Shoplifting hit a record high in 2024, with the number of offences surpassing 500,000 for the first time. Some 530,643 offences were recorded by forces in England and Wales in 2024/25 - up 20 per cent from 444,022 in 2023/24 and is the highest total since current police recording practices began in 2002/03. Offences involving theft from the person have also remained at record levels. Some 151,220 of these offences were recorded by forces in the year to March, up 15 per cent from 131,584 in the previous 12 months – again, the highest since the current recording began in 2002/03. Speaking on Wednesday, Richard Walker, the executive chairman of supermarket chain Iceland, argued that shoplifting is getting worse because offenders appeared to be able to act with 'impunity'. 'We now have over 1,000 serious incidents a year, serious incidents being marauding gangs, violent assaults, needles, knives, hammers, you name it', he told the Today programme. 'I go through our weekly serious incidents report every Monday morning, and it is clear that firstly, there is now no area of the country unaffected by this issue, it happens everywhere from small market towns through to big inner cities. 'But secondly, and importantly, there is an impunity, an increasing level of violence that is caused by a lack of deterrent.' Responding to his remarks, Dame Diana said: 'I think he does actually have a point, and that's why we're investing into neighbourhood policing, because we know a police deterrent in our town centres and in our high streets is really important in starting to tackle shop theft and anti-social behaviour. 'We're bringing forward legislation to make it a specific offence to assault a retail worker, and we're getting rid of what the previous government brought in, which was this sort of £200 limit. If you stole below £200, the case wouldn't necessarily be proceeded with. 'We want to make clear, if you steal, that is a criminal offence, whether it's £5 or £500, pounds.' On Wednesday, the government announced an expansion of the use of facial recognition technology in an attempt to tackle crime. Seven English forces will have access to 10 vans equipped with cameras across Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire, following recent deployments by London's Met Police and South Wales Police. Dame Diana said she believes the public would back the police's use of live facial recognition cameras, if they are used 'in a very measured, proportionate way to go after' suspects who officers are looking for. But Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti alleged that the technology had been 'developed pretty much completely outside the law', and voiced fears that the government's plan is 'yet another move towards a total surveillance society'.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Policing minister admits disinformation could still spread under suspect ethnicity guidance
Disinformation could still spread regarding suspects arrested under new guidance for police, the policing minister has said. Police forces have been told to consider disclosing suspects' ethnicity and nationality to the public when they are charged in high-profile and sensitive cases. It comes after authorities were accused of covering up offences carried out by asylum seekers, and in the wake of riots following the Southport murders, which were partly fuelled by social media disinformation. Asked whether withholding a suspect's nationality and ethnicity until they are charged, rather than when they are arrested, means disinformation could still spread as it did following the Southport murders, Dame Diana Johnson agreed. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) guidance reaffirms that it is not the role or responsibility of the police to verify a suspect's immigration status, and the Home Office should decide if it is appropriate in all the circumstances to confirm immigration status.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Police to reveal ethnicity of suspects after cover-up claims
Police forces have been told to share suspects' ethnicity and nationality after authorities were accused of covering up offences carried out by asylum seekers. Interim guidance by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing says forces should consider disclosing extra details about suspects charged in particularly high-profile and sensitive investigations. Usually when a suspect is arrested, police forces in England and Wales only disclose the age of the person and where they were arrested. Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, told Sky News: 'We want to be as transparent and as open as possible with the public. We think that is important.' She noted that names and addresses are already given out when a suspect is charged, and that 'we are now saying that should then include nationality and ethnicity unless there is a very good reason not to do so'. 'But we are also very conscious of the need to make sure that anyone going forward to trial, it doesn't in any way prejudice that trial,' she said. 'We welcome the guidance, we think this is really helpful.' It comes after two men in Warwickshire were charged in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton last month. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged earlier this month with rape, while Mohammad Kabir, also 23, was charged with kidnap and strangulation. George Finch, the 19-year-old Reform leader of Warwickshire county council, claimed the two men charged were Afghan asylum seekers, leading Nigel Farage to say there had been a cover-up. Warwickshire Police previously responded by saying it 'did not and will not cover up such criminality', but confirmed that it 'wouldn't be releasing immigration status' of the suspects. The issue of revealing suspects' ethnicities also played a part in last summer's riots. In the wake of the Southport killings, Merseyside Police was heavily criticised for allowing a void of information about the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, to open. It was filled with misinformation, including that he was a Muslim asylum seeker. It is hoped the change to guidance, which comes into force immediately, will combat the spread of misinformation on social media. Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, the lead for ethics on the NPCC, said: 'We saw during last summer's disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain. 'We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels. 'Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest.' Police revealed Liverpool suspect was white In May, Merseyside Police revealed the ethnicity of the driver of a car that ploughed into crowds during Liverpool Football Club's Premier League victory parade just hours after his arrest. Keen to avoid unrest, the force said the suspect was a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area just two hours after the incident took place. The new guidance comes after Sir Keir asked the Law Commission in March to fast-track new contempt of court rules, to allow more information to be released about suspects. Emily Spurrell of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said: 'I am pleased the NPCC and College of Policing have recognised the need to update guidance for forces in the light of recent high-profile cases. '(Police and crime commissioners) and Deputy Mayors act on behalf of the public and it is clear there was a need to review the guidance to address growing public concern. 'We have seen the speed with which mis- or disinformation can spread online and the danger to public safety that can cause, so it is right police keep the public informed as far as is possible whilst preserving a suspect's right to a fair trial.'
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
The middle class shoplifters pushing up prices for honest customers: How affluent thieves who 'feel like they're owed something' are pinching luxury goods - as retail crime soars to £2.2bn a year
Brazen middle class shoplifters have been blamed for pushing up prices for honest customers amid a shoplifting epidemic that has seen retail crime soar to £2.2billion a year. Dame Diana Johnson, Labour's policing and crime minister, has issued a stark warning to wealthier thieves, insisting 'there will be consequences' regardless of their background. It comes amid a rise in well-heeled customers increasingly pinching goods from shops - with businesses' claiming they feel 'entitled' to it. Richard Fowler, the head of security at upmarket health food brand Planet Organic, last year coined the new band of shoplifters as 'posh totty' types who feel they can get away with stealing because they are regulars. A wave of shamed middle class shoplifters have increasingly spoken out - typically under anonymity - to come clean about how and why they became addicted to stealing. Until they were caught, that is. One mother, who worked in a well-paid IT job and lived in a comfortable three-bedroom home, told the Mail: There was absolutely no reason for me to steal.' But the self-confessed middle class shoplifter, who was eventually caught after stealing £1,500 of goods over the 12 months, added: 'Breaking the law felt dangerous and risky, but it also felt good.' Filled with determination to crack down on Britain's spiralling shoplifting epidemic, Dame Diana told the Telegraph: 'It's a crime. If you're middle class, or whichever class you want to determine that you are, it's a crime. That is just not acceptable because we all know that people end up paying higher prices if people are stealing.' In a bid to combat the crime crippling the retail sector, the Government is planning to invest £200million into neighbourhood policing and has vowed to make assaulting a shop worker a standalone offence. It comes after the Government also axed previous legislation that made stealing goods worth less than £200 a 'summary-only' offence. A 'Fusion Cell' programme for sharing intelligence on retail crime and thieves is also in the works. Incidents of retail crime hit their highest level on record in the year leading up to August 2024, growing by more than 50 per cent to more than 2,000 incidents a day, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Graham Wynn, a director at the BRC, told the Telegraph: 'The cost of theft has also risen to over £2.2bn a year, pushing up prices for honest shoppers and damaging the customer experience.' While organised gangs have been held responsible for pinching luxury goods and selling them on for profit, a new culprit has been increasingly blamed for contributing to the crisis. Retail bosses have increasingly sought to raise the alarm over shoplifting among the middle classes. Archie Norman, chairman of Marks & Spencer, warned two years ago: 'It's too easy to say it's a cost of living problem. Some of this shoplifting is by gangs. Then you get the middle class. 'With the reduction of service you get in a lot of shops, a lot of people think: 'This didn't scan properly, or it's very difficult to scan these things through, and I shop here all the time. It's not my fault, I'm owed it'.' Last summer, Mr Fowler, who manages security Planet Organic's Chiswick branch, told the BBC the upmarket chain loses a staggering £900,000 a year across its nine London stores from stealing. He explained: 'We've got our homeless... Then we have what I would call the posh totty people. 'They shop in Planet Organic on a daily basis, they spend a lot of money with our business. '[They think] ''Today I'm a little bit short of money, so I'm entitled to steal something''.' In March 2022, Nina Tiara, thought to be Britain's most prolific middle-class shoplifter, was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail. To her neighbours Tiara seemed the picture of respectability. She drove a gleaming Mercedes and lived in a neat, £550,000 detached house in a Wiltshire hamlet - but much of her lifestyle was funded by crime. Since Tiara was caught, other middle class shoplifters have come forward, crippled by guilt. One 53-year-old woman, married with two children in their 20s, previously told the Mail: 'The thrill lies in getting away with it, I certainly don't do it for financial gain because I don't need to.' Explaining how she first came swept up by the world of shoplifting, the retired executive office manager said: 'I'd gone to collect some pre-ordered items but I also needed to buy a £150 power drill on the day. 'I suddenly had this compulsion to peel the 'already paid for' sticker from one of my pre-ordered items and put it onto the power drill instead. To avert suspicion, I picked up a few bedding plants costing around £5, which I put through the till. 'My heart was hammering, and I fully expected to feel the hand of a security guard on my shoulder. But by the time I got to the car, I felt such a buzz. I couldn't believe I'd got away with it. I can explain it only as a sudden, impetuous two fingers up to the fact that life was - and still is - very stressful.' Part of the power she felt, she admitted, was that nobody would ever have her down as a shoplifter. She's bright, articulate, well-spoken, takes pride in her appearance and makes a point of chatting to shop staff as she goes about her business. 'I've witnessed shoplifters running out of the supermarkets with staff chasing after them,' she adds. 'I get away with it because I'm the calm, middle-aged, middle-class woman who looks so normal and respectable. I've seen other women like me fill up their trolleys and walk brazenly past security staff without paying for a thing.' Another mother, operating in the US, admitted to brazenly shoplifting in her affluent suburb – and no one ever said a thing. That was until she left a store and approached her car when a male voice behind her said: 'Excuse me, can I pull you to one side?' She recalled to the Mail: 'Why would they suspect me? I appeared to be an ordinary middle-class mother-of-two. I earned a decent salary working in IT and lived in a comfortable three-bedroom home with my family. There was absolutely no reason for me to steal. 'I've since learned that I am part of a wave of so-called 'middle-class shoplifters'. She said she didn't seek out high-end items, rather items such as a bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, some wholemeal wraps or bags of salads. The well-heeled shoplifter believes the thrill she got from 'breaking the rules' stemmed from her experience in lockdown. She explained: 'I felt trapped at home. I missed playgroups and coffee mornings so much. I felt flat and miserable. 'We got through those two years, but as life slowly returned to normal – and I cared for my new baby – my urge to steal started. 'The thrilling tingle of a successful theft was like a drug. When my mood was low, I could steal items two or three times a week, usually from my local mini-supermarket.' In April, the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales passed half a million for the first time. An astonishing 516,971 offences were logged by forces last year, up 20 per cent from 429,873 in 2023. The figure is the highest since current police records began 22 year ago in 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Shoplifting offences have been at record levels for the past two years and have seen a 'sharp rise' since the pandemic, the ONS said. In March, the BRC said the cost of retail crime has soared to a staggering £4.2billion last year - including £2.2billion from shoplifting and another £1.8billion spent on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: 'Seeing incidents of theft or abuse has become an all-too-common part of the shopping experience for many people. 'While an incident can be over in a matter of seconds, it can have life-long consequences on those who experience it, making them think twice about visiting their local high streets. 'Criminals are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and decisive action is needed to put an end to it.'
