Cost of living crisis “no excuse” for shoplifting, says policing minister

The cost of living crisis is “no excuse” for shoplifting, Minister for policing Chris Philp has said, adding that UK’s benefits system is “very generous”.

Speaking to Sky News, Philp said, “There is no excuse for any criminal activity including shoplifting.”

“We’ve got a very generous benefits system. We’re spending well over £100 billion a year on working age benefits. They went up by 10 per cent last year. They’re going to go up by another 6.7 per cent in April. The national minimum wage has just gone up by around about 10 per cent,” he said.

Asked if he had any sympathy for people stealing to put food on the table, Philp said gangs, criminal re-selling and drugs were largely to blame.

The policing minister warned that a lack of focus on shoplifting by forces means there has been “no deterrence”.

Referring to looting that has taken place in some American cities, Philp said, “The San Francisco case study… shows what happens when you have a permissive environment where the police don’t take further action, where you don’t have a zero-tolerance approach, you get these crime types simply escalating.”

Philp’s comments come amid escalating levels of retail thefts, with increases blamed on inflation, organised crime and a lack of focus from police.

A survey by the British Retail Consortium this year found levels of shoplifting in 10 major cities had risen by an average of 27 per cent compared with 2022, costing businesses £1.76 billion over a 12-month period.

In October, the Home Office announced a retail crime plan involving the creation of a team of specialist analysts to gather intelligence on gangs responsible for shoplifting. Police forces also committed to attending more crime scenes, with facial recognition used to target offenders.