‘She was dressing half of Brixton at one time.’ A former plumber from south London is recalling the pretty, well-groomed shoplifter of his youth. Expensively dressed, her favourite place to target was Selfridges. ‘I don’t know how she did it but she got everything. You put in an order and she’d get it. Those days I had silk boxer shorts to give away,’ he sighs. ‘But then her son got murdered and she died shortly after of a broken heart.’
Shoplifting is no longer a one-woman show. Light-fingered mothers have been replaced by organised criminals, trafficking children and teenage girls from eastern Europe to steal from British shops. Children are a key part of their strategy because they are too young to be charged. Police forces in Lancashire, Merseyside and South Yorkshire have seen five-year-olds used.
‘Criminals are being given a free pass to attack us. You don’t expect to risk your life for a part-time job at Tesco’
This new breed of shoplifter has led to an explosion in the number of thefts, from 1.1
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in