UK city with many shoplifters ‘it is like dwelling in an episode of Jeremy Kyle’
Shopkeepers in a UK city are being stricken by shoplifters – with one particular person evaluating the city centre to “Jurassic Park and Jeremy Kyle”.
Businesses in Bolton city centre say they’re being focused by shoplifters every single day – with Greater Manchester Police bringing in a brand new excessive road enforcement squad in a bid to deal with the issue.
Suleiman Hekimi, who has run his Diva enterprise within the city for seven years, has put in CCTV – however he says the thieves merely “don’t care”.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News (MEN), the 45-year-old mentioned: “Whatever has blown up on TikTok are the things that schoolchildren steal.
“The other day, rosemary oil was popular on TikTok and all the schoolchildren were nicking it.
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“The oil is £10 each, so if they take 10, that’s £100. Sometimes, when they take a wig, that’s £100 just on its own.
“It’s not just children, it’s women too. There isn’t an age limit. It’s everybody.”
Suleiman additionally claims the “police won’t bother” with small scale shoplifting resulting from a loophole within the legislation which means thefts beneath £200 must be handled by a £70 mounted penalty discover.
Adding that he thought thieves felt they have been “easy pickings”, he mentioned: “They know there is nothing you can do. They used to be scared of the police, but now they just put everything in their bags and walk out.
“A few months ago, a woman stole something and we told her to give it back. She gave the item back but threw every item off the shelf onto the floor. We lost more than £100 from the broken things.”
Mohammed Khalid, supervisor of telephone store Mobile 2K, has resorted to hiding high-value inventory – and locking suspected thieves within the retailer.
He advised the MEN: “It can get a bit crazy. If we get people who we think are going to steal, we just lock them in for five minutes.
“When you know someone is trying to distract you and you’re on your own, you can use it as a fall back.”
In different retailers in Bolton city centre, merchants have resorted to strategies together with retaining espresso in a separate space and solely placing out one packet of laundry pods at a time.
One employee at a series retailer, who didn’t want to be recognized, mentioned: “If we leave the aisle [by the door] with no staff members on, they will grab a basket, fill it and do one – they’ll even take the basket too.”
She added: “We can watch them and if we see they’re doing anything we can ask them for the product, but we’re not physically allowed to do anything.”
Sergeant David Keir, from Greater Manchester Police’s Bolton district, urged enterprise homeowners within the city to talk to police.
He mentioned: “We have labored carefully with shops and native companions to make sure the very best work attainable is being accomplished for Bolton.
“Recently, one retailer referred to as us as much as give us a direct tip-off, which resulted in a subsequent arrest [on] suspicion of shoplifting. Other shops will discuss to us concerning the methods through which issues are stolen, together with occasions and who’s accountable.
“This assists with intelligence and helps us paint an image of offenders and the place they’re prone to goal.
“Ultimately, if we obtain a report, we are going to act on it, and our officers are dedicated to retaining Bolton’s streets protected whereas decreasing crime.”