Private Police Report Success in Prosecution of Shoplifters Amid Rise in Retail Crime

The police lacks resources to effectively deal with retail crime, according to the founder of a private investigation company operating in London.

Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp (2L) hosts senior figures in policing and 13 of the UK’s biggest retailers in Downing Street to set out a joint plan of action to tackle shoplifting, in London, on Oct. 23, 2023. Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images

A private police force has reported a 100 percent conviction rate in prosecution of 300 shoplifting cases, amid a rise in retail theft in England and Wales.

Shoplifting offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales have gone up by a quarter in the past year.

With retail crime on the rise, the government has come under increasing pressure to tackle shoplifting and protect the retail sector. On Monday, the Home Office launched the Retail Crime Action Plan, meant to crackdown on shoplifters.

But according to former Met Police detective and founder of private investigators TM Eye, David McKelvey, the police lacks resources to effectively deal with retail crime.

“The problem is staring everyone in the face. Number one is that there are not the police resources to do this. There are not the police officers to deal with this particular type of situation and there are other priorities, like knife crime and murders,” Mr. McKelvey told The Telegraph.

TM Eye operates in 19 retail and business districts in central and outer London. According to the company, when they receive an alert of theft, its officers get to the scene within minutes.

“Our conviction rate is 100 percent because the evidence is put together by experienced detectives and reviewed independently by very experienced solicitors,” said Mr. McKelvey.

He added that having experienced counsel focused on the victim of shoplifting contrasts with instances in which a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer is loaded with dozens of additional cases.

Smarter Approach

The government called the rise in retail crime “unacceptable” and promised to take a “smarter” approach in rebuilding the public confidence in the police.

After meeting with senior police leaders and retail businesses on Monday, policing minister Chris Philp outlined the government’s action plan.

Under the plan, police will prioritise shoplifting incidents that involve violence against shop workers.

Cases where shop security staff detain an offender or where police are needed to secure evidence will also be considered urgent.

Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp hosts senior figures in policing and 13 of the UK’s biggest retailers in Downing Street to set out a joint plan of action to tackle shoplifting, in London, on Oct. 23, 2023. Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The police will run CCTV footage or images of offenders through a national database, using facial recognition technology. This includes Britain’s passport database, according to Mr. Philp’s recent comments.

Facial recognition technology enabled the Metropolitan Police to identify 149 retail crime suspects from 302 CCTV stills “within a matter of days,” the force said.

“The results we’ve seen so far are game-changing. The use of facial recognition in this way could revolutionise how we investigate and solve crime” said Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

But campaigners have been highly critical of using facial recognition technology in shops and on the streets.

Emmanuelle Andrews from human rights charity Liberty called it “an unjustified expansion of state surveillance.”

“This technology threatens our privacy and stifles free speech, and we should all be worried about moves to expand its reach,” Ms. Andrews said.

£200 Threshold

Retail crime costs the economy £1.9 billion a year, while businesses have to pay about £600 million a year to put protections in place.

Under current legislation, shoplifters taking under £200 worth of goods face a maximum sentence of six months and can plead guilty by post.

The £200 threshold was introduced in England and Wales in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 under the Conservative government led by David Cameron.

While the current policing minister said that police must investigate every single crime where there is CCTV evidence, the Labour Party argued that it wasn’t enough.

Labour has condemned the government for failing the retail sector. The opposition plans to “end the £200 rule to tackle the shoplifting gangs” if it wins the next election.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has also vowed to bring back neighbourhood policing, with 13,000 more officers and police community support officers back on British streets.

Failures of the UK prison system, including insufficient capacity and the dire state of some prisons, represent another challenge to effective policing.

Mr. McKelvey argued that even if the police arrest shoplifters, they will struggle with cell capacity.

“They would have to increase it 10 times to be able to do what they say they are going to do. There is a big question over whether it is achievable,” he said.

To increase prison capacity, the government has launched a programme that includes expanding and refurbishing 16 prison sites in the UK.

The aim is to create 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s.