Don’t dial 999 for shoplifters – call their PARENTS instead (and let them go after 30 minutes), police tell bemused retailers
- A city centre security worker said police would not respond to thefts under £200
- He said Devon and Cornwall Police had told him they could not afford to respond
- Officers apparently said it would be best to call the parents of young offenders
Shop workers have been told to call the parents of shoplifters instead of the police because the force will not respond unless the value stolen is over £200, it has been claimed.
A member of a city centre security team has said police told him they could no longer afford to respond to low-value shoplifting.
He said officers had told him not to detain adults any longer than 30 minutes and that it would be best to call the parents of young offenders.
The security worker, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims a member of Devon and Cornwall Police gave him the advice even as the number of shoplifting incidents continues to rise.
Retailers have apparently been told not to bother reporting low-value shoplifting to the police as officers do not have the resources to deal with them (stock photo)
He said: ‘Police are no longer going to attend shoplifting arrests in stores. We have also been advised that we cannot detain anyone for longer than 30 minutes.
‘But if anyone is under 18 we’ve been told we have to just get the stock back and release them, with parental consent.
‘We were told we should only call the police if the parents can’t be contacted.
‘They said they wouldn’t attend if we had a shoplifter and it would be down to us to deal with it.
‘We could send it through as a crime and they may take it up afterwards but if it’s under £200 it would more than likely be shelved and not dealt with.
‘There a national no attendance for shoplifting policy that’s been around for ages now but Devon and Cornwall Police have been avoiding it but it’s here too now.
-
Wealthy pensioners ‘are losing £91,000 each’ as cold callers…
Baby boy is born on M25 amid huge tailbacks after coach…
Share this article
‘It means we won’t get cover if we’ve got under two hundred pounds worth of shoplifting and if we can’t get their details for a civil recovery we have to let them go.
‘It was all about deterring and not letting them take it rather than if they do actually take it, what do we actually do. We said that doesn’t work’
Cornwall Council’s Rob Nolan said he has heard from the city’s retailers that shoplifting is already out of control.
He said: ‘I’m not surprised to hear this. I hear that shoplifting is out of control in Truro, and the Manager of a large store told me that they were losing £800 a week in alcohol alone.
‘The police are working flat out, but their resources have been cut to the bone and they don’t have enough officers to cope.
‘We need the Government to do a u turn and properly resource our police, or stores are going to have to employ security guards and look after themselves.’
Inspector Rick Milburn, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said there is no policy based on value.
A city centre security worker said officers had told him not to detain adults any longer than 30 minutes and that it would be best to call the parents of young offenders (stock photo)
He said: ‘There is no policy, forcewide or locally driven which dictates a shoplifting value which will determine if Police do or do not attend.
‘My resources at Truro are finite. In addition to the incidents that the public would expect Police attendance there are also expectations from our local councillors, partner agencies and businesses.
‘To determine and prioritise our attendance at incidents we need to carefully assess threat, risk to the public and potential harm.
‘There will be occasions whereby we face very high demand, a prime example being a recent Saturday where 53 incidents were recorded in Truro.
‘During these periods it is inevitable that some incidents will be assessed as a lower priority. Shoplifting per se, is not a low priority offence.
‘If there are aggravating factors such as violence used, or a child stealing food then these type of incidents will be reprioritised accordingly.
‘Any force used by Security Guards using Common Law has to be reasonable especially in the circumstances where the shoplifter is a child.’
A spokesperson for the OPCC said: ‘The police is committed to tackling shoplifting and ensuring those responsible are held to account for their actions.
‘Each week they charge many offenders to court with shoplifting offences throughout Cornwall.
‘In-store prevention can also play a part and the force is always looking at the best way to work with retailers to help stop them becoming victims.’
Source: Read Full Article