Stephen Morgan MP has slammed the Government for failing to put forward a comprehensive plan to tackle shoplifting in Portsmouth and across the country, with no commitments to restore neighbourhood policing which would restore resourcing and police visibility in local communities.
It comes as incidents of shoplifting have been allowed to reach a record high under the Conservatives, as the number of incidents reportedly top 1,000 per day across the country.
In the last week, Mr Morgan met with the City’s head of community safety and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Chief Constable to raise concerns regarding the level of shoplifting in Portsmouth.
Following the summit, police now also say they will aim to rush to the scene if shop workers are victims of violence, if a suspect has been detained by staff, or if evidence urgently needs to be secured.
Store security guards will also be trained on how to detain shoplifters under a citizen’s arrest.
Mr Morgan said the plans will prove to be dead letter policy, given the capacity of police to respond to each shoplifting incident has been greatly reduced by Government cuts to PCSOs, the number of which has fallen by 10,000.
The Tory law that downgraded the theft of goods worth less than £200 to a minor offence remains in place, despite this being the most common form of theft afflicting supermarkets across the country.
Following the summit, commenting Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan said:
“After months of delay and allowing shoplifters to act with impunity, today’s announcements will provide little comfort to shopworkers in Portsmouth who are frequently facing violence and abuse as a major flashpoint of shoplifting our city.”
“To expect security guards to conduct a citizens arrest with no guarantee the police will arrive swiftly, and without addressing cuts to police numbers, only creates greater risk for those who serve our communities.”
“Labour will scrap the £200 rule which stops shoplifting being investigated, put guaranteed neighbourhood patrols back into town centres with 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs and bring in stronger laws against assaults on shopworkers.”
Labour’s Shadow Secretary Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP said:
“The Tories have allowed shoplifting to reach a record high and yet they are still failing to put neighbourhood police back into our town centres or come up with a comprehensive plan.”
“So dire is the situation that the policing minister last month called for shoppers to do citizens arrests instead as there aren’t enough police.”
“The Conservatives have let the gangs fuelling this crime to take hold in our towns and high streets, while bringing in laws that make it harder to take action on shoplifting and cutting 10,000 neighbourhood police from the streets.”
Mr Morgan has taken a range of actions to lobby the Government to address the rise in shoplifting and to stand up for shopworkers who are on the frontline of this crisis, including lobbying the Home Secretary to raising USDAW’s concerns, visiting local stores in Portsmouth and campaigning for more bobbies on the beat.
