Drama at the Co-op

My choir was carol singing in Asda's foyer, some years ago. Suddenly a young man rushed past, clutching two bottles of spirits, with a security guard in hot pursuit. A few minutes later he was hauled back in, minus the drink. I presume that it had been dropped, or thrown away. Throughout the drama we carried on singing about "Peace on Earth. Goodwill to men!". So funny!

It’s not just food theft either.
Our local Co-Op was raided a few months ago by armed robbers.
The poor shop assistant was locked in the store cupboard.
They seem to be targeting coop’s all,over the place.

Ah, but Breeze, the powers that be would have to raise the taxes to pay for the staff to catch the thieves, try the thieves and house them whilst in the newly built prisons. At the moment, by doing nothing, we still pay for the misdemeanours within our food bills and barely notice it. Of course I don't want the people who do this shoplifting to get away with it. I think it is disgusting that it is almost seen as acceptable but as a society we have to decide how to foil this.
In many continental countries, bags always had to be left in lockers which limits how much people can carry off. Revolving Doors would make it so people couldn't make a quick get away. I am sure there must be ways and means to prevent the crimes rather than cleaning up afterwards.

I think my spaniel would have ended up there!

Well I guess there could be a 'wing' at Battersea for canine rehabilitation 'serious theft'

My father used to tell me about his dog when he was a little boy. This animal became famous for the quantity and variety of presents he used to bring home, e.g. torches, thermos flask and one Sunday morning a large joint of beef which my grandmother, being a sensible Scots woman, decided to cook for Sunday dinner.

Completely agree janipat We have seen an increase in dreadful attacks on single officers in recent times. Poor brave souls that have paid the price trying to protect 'us'.

The 'where do we put them' problem, regarding petty offenders. Find somewhere. Build somewhere. You can't say 'we will let people off because we haven't got room for them'. What kind of example does that show to offenders. And as I said earlier, a very high chance of reoffending if they are not caught and made uncomfortable early on before they move on to worse things.

breeze, yes my son who wanted to be a policeman for all the right reasons gets so frustrated by the enormous amount of frankly unnecessary paperwork. A simple theft from a shop arrest can see an officer taken off the streets for many hours completing the formalities. The numbers are far too low, evidenced by single crewing of cars and single foot patrols. How is any officer supposed to manage "incidents" involving several offenders, or even one offender supported by a hostile public on their own? There really aren't enough of them to cover all crimes. The public need to be calling for far greater numbers, and then actually back them in the fight against crime. It would help if CPS prosecuted a few more, and judges handed out harsher sentences. But then we get into over-crowded prisons. We need to decide what we want and then voice it to the powers that be.

icanhandthemback Build bigger prisons then. What's the alternative? Let crime become the norm.

That is so true MissAdventure. I think I may have posted on another thread a while back that I was on the receiving end of an indecent phone caller who harassed me for months while I was pregnant with my second child. He was eventually caught and he was fined less than if he had stolen a pushbike. I'm not easily frightened; so I would be a liar if I said it affected me to the point of needing therapy. It did unsettle me though at a time I was already a mother of a toddler and expecting. I've always thought, and continue to believe, we are becoming far too soft with apprehending and punishing people who think they are above the law.

notanan2, people who haven't got a lot of money might be tempted.
If we prosecute all these criminals, what do we do with them? Our prisons are bursting, Community Service or Probation is a joke and our Addiction Rehabilitation Services failing daily.

Strangely enough, I never get offered any cheap items at the door these days.
It used to happen all the time.

The thing is surely that the crims are well aware that the police and others CBA, and so they will continue on their merry way. Low level crime will escalate until 'everyone' is doing it, or at least turning a blind eye. I do wonder when the powers that be will conclude that enough is enough.

What gets me is the most popular theft for resale item is joints of meat! Who are the buyers? Why would you buy an expensive cut/joint of RAW meat "off the back of a lorry"???

I would rather go veggie!

I always think when I watch police programmes what a lot of effort is put in for someone to be given a 50 pounds fine, or a conditional discharge.

Diane Abbot will inform us all we have enough officers but I don't trust her adding up.

Oops. Typo. Meant to be in bold Nannyxthree

Very good points janipat too much paperwork also, as I mentioned before. I think a lot of police officers join the force to make the streets safer and end up as pen pushers. It must be soul destroying and frustrating.

That's a very good point *Nannyxthree' I've done that before (not bought a bag. I did pay!)

My son is a detective, but was an uniformed officer for many years. Many shopkeepers, when informed that if the thief is prosecuted they will need to attend court to give evidence, reply that they do not want to waste their time. What are the police to do if witnesses aren't prepared to witness?

As for fraud of inheritance investigations, my son had one which he tried to follow up, but his priority had to be the rape and violent assaults on his desk. He was perfectly honest about this to the woman involved, who did agree if it was her daughter that had been gang raped she wouldn't want to be in a queue behind an inheritance fraud.

OK I'm biased, but our police are underfunded, understaffed, and many are leaving the job totally burned out. Every time the public jump on the bash the police band wagon, government can safely continue cutting resources. And as for a labour government improving our policing, with Dianne Abbot at the helm I somehow doubt it, but I live in hope.

Since shops have been told not to give out plastic bags I keep seeing people with arm fulls of stuff leaving shops and looking like it's stolen, but I guess they just don't want to buy a bag. How can you tell unless you see them do it?

I hadn't ever thought of that happening, but of course, it must, now I think about it.

This doesn't just go on in the high street. A few years ago my son worked for an I.T. company that were hacked, held to ransom, money demanded. I expected my son to tell me that the police were called and the hackers investigated. He said they didn’t bother, paid the ransom so the business could continue without disruption. I was utterly disgusted. It seems the authorities can’t be bothered with anything they regard as petty these days but in my view where does that lead? If you get away with the small stuff you will progress to the bigger stuff in my view. I know they are stretched and constantly moan about resources and the paperwork that the ‘successful sue’ climate has forced them to do but what example does that give to the honest, law abiding people. Crime pays? I think, maybe, it now does. Maybe I brought my children up wrongly. I should have told them if they were short of money to go steal something. Not work harder.

My husband and I were having a lovely little holiday in a well known seaside resort on the Kent coast, the kind of picturesque, sleepy place where you expect nothing much to happen. In the week we were there, he witnessed a person grabbing booze and running from the Co-op and then, whilst waiting for me outside the lavender shop, he witnessed someone grab a bag from a security van and make off with it. Despite having witnesses, I don’t think he/she was ever caught!

Surely a crime is a crime, regardless of why it was committed.
I'm playing devils advocate, because I do think the circumstances should be considered.
My idea of what would be extenuating circumstances may wildly differ from others' though.

I've learned such a lot from this thread. I was on a course in the centre of a city recently. After the lunchbreak, a class member said he'd gone for a walk and been asked for a cigarette by another man who then offered him a steak from a whole bagful in thanks.
We talked about it and decided the steak offerer must have been given some nearly-out-of-date steaks for the nearby food bank, but now I reckon the meat had been grabbed.
Genuinely, I hope people in real need of food are treated sympathetically by shops...but I don't think bagsfull of snatched smoked salmon or steaks should be overlooked.