Shopper here: I will not "physically intervene" if I see someone shoplifting because I am 5 foot nothing and weigh eight stone and I do not fancy getting thumped, thank you.
Replies
I think “police chief” in this article is doing some very heavy lifting. More “ police and crime commissioner “ so a plastic copper. No sane copper would give such stupid advice
aug 25, 2025, 6:27 pm • 1 0 • view
In prior times, I’d have intervened But these days one needs to be worried about getting stabbed and killed or beaten up When was it that a father was stabbed on a train at Christmas a few yrs ago in London just for not taking someone else’s crap?
aug 25, 2025, 4:25 pm • 0 0 • view
If Tesco are going to invest in safe rooms for colleagues for obvious personal safety reasons, why am I (6'2) going to bother?
aug 25, 2025, 9:26 am • 1 0 • view
I worked in a fancy department store in my student days. Thieves were sometimes armed with knives, metal piping or, in one instance, syringes filled with blood. We were told to call security and not engage. It's bonkers to say that people who aren't equipped or trained should start wading in.
aug 25, 2025, 9:35 am • 18 0 • view
I ‘m old enough to remember being told not to be ‘Have a go Heros’. Obviously the Police think A&E and Undertakers need more business.
aug 25, 2025, 9:55 am • 4 0 • view
Yes, quite
aug 25, 2025, 10:48 am • 0 0 • view
More likely I'd help the shoplifter than the shop tbh.
aug 25, 2025, 4:25 pm • 0 0 • view
There's also a legalities about when someone is shoplifting - if still inside the shop & you "physically intervene" you may well be found to have assaulted & falsely arrested them - it's why store detectives stop people outside. Perhaps police should issue Have-a-Go advice? Or just do it themselves.
aug 25, 2025, 11:41 am • 3 0 • view
basically I think getting stuck in as a bystander is a really bad idea - unless of course someone is getting hurt, in which case I do think it's important to step up if possible.
aug 25, 2025, 12:37 pm • 2 0 • view
I will not "physically intervene" because I never saw anything.
aug 25, 2025, 6:31 pm • 0 0 • view
Shoplifting food? Who am I, with my basket of goods, to tell someone else that their family can't eat today? Maybe all those Tories who caused the cost of living crisis should be the ones picking up security guard roles, if anyone has to. They clearly have no conscience.
aug 25, 2025, 9:51 am • 4 0 • view
Also, I don’t care. If someone is stealing bread, I’m not gonna narc.
aug 25, 2025, 4:25 pm • 0 0 • view
Also… sometimes (especially in the time of self scan) what you might assume is shop lifting may not be. Also, are they crazy? What if whoever’s doing the shoplifting is carrying a knife. I like living, mostly. They can take whatever. It’s not on me to intervene.
aug 25, 2025, 7:42 pm • 1 0 • view
We also aren't vigilantes and sometimes what you think you see isn't actually it so people really shouldn't be encouraged! We certainly weren't encouraged to approach customers who were suspected, when I worked in shops (I wasn't on security or management).
aug 25, 2025, 5:28 pm • 2 0 • view
Oh, c'mon. It's a logical next step after self service checkouts. Maybe allow an extra hour to do some shelf stacking, too. Cheeky sods. Tesco operating profits, 24/25: £3.128 billion.
aug 25, 2025, 4:41 pm • 6 0 • view
Anyone “stepping in” is probably a sociopath looking to sucker punch a stranger
aug 25, 2025, 4:22 pm • 1 0 • view
Regardless of size, I wouldn’t dream of getting involved if I thought I saw a shoplifting incident, because it’s none of my business.
aug 25, 2025, 5:51 pm • 4 0 • view
If we really had to, Kate, we could go for the ankles 😆
aug 25, 2025, 2:07 pm • 2 0 • view
True 😁😁
aug 25, 2025, 2:10 pm • 2 0 • view
my brother did once and the police never even turned up, he ended up having to eventually leave and they let the guy go as well so all he did was cause himself an issue
aug 25, 2025, 4:23 pm • 3 0 • view
I am six foot, fourteen stone and still wouldn’t wade in. I am not risking a blade in the chest for shoplifting.
aug 25, 2025, 3:57 pm • 21 0 • view
A blade in the chest for someone else’s insured stock
aug 25, 2025, 4:25 pm • 8 0 • view
... or knifed.
aug 25, 2025, 9:33 am • 1 0 • view
Spectacularly irresponsible if the police chief actually said that. Someone I know was a manager of a store and someone who intervened ended up with a fractured skull after being shoved backwards and falling onto a shelf. Police should not be encouraging vigilantism.
aug 25, 2025, 4:11 pm • 3 0 • view
Back in the day at demos we used to sarcastically chant 'we're only doing our job!' at cops. Who knew that one day they'd refuse to even pretend to do their actual job.
aug 25, 2025, 9:30 am • 5 0 • view
I am not Batman. I have no desire to be Batman. I will not be stepping in to "protect" goods that the retailer insured...
aug 26, 2025, 9:52 am • 2 0 • view
ha ha, yes, quite
aug 26, 2025, 10:23 am • 0 0 • view
Different if Daphne’s with you and you can unleash the wrath
aug 25, 2025, 5:56 pm • 0 0 • view
She would be an excellent crime deterrent. Shops should install enormous photos of her as a warning
aug 25, 2025, 5:59 pm • 3 0 • view
The skulls of her enemies are beneath her paws
aug 25, 2025, 7:43 pm • 2 0 • view
She has an extensive collection of the skulls of her enemies
aug 25, 2025, 7:46 pm • 2 0 • view
“Are you sure you want to put that in your bag?” Sorted
aug 25, 2025, 6:00 pm • 2 0 • view
Shoplifting rates would plummet
aug 25, 2025, 6:01 pm • 1 0 • view
I was shocked to hear this advice. My concern is about over enthusiastic vigilantes, but your comment is equally valid.
aug 25, 2025, 12:19 pm • 1 0 • view
I would need to ignore food theft.
aug 25, 2025, 9:39 am • 3 0 • view
Second on my list of reasons why it's a really fucking stupid idea, is the potential for abusing this: Innocent Lady Shopper: "Officer, that man just grabbed and repeatedly touched me inappropriately" Trenchcoat Wearing Pervert: "I thought you were shoplifting, so was just following police advice"
aug 25, 2025, 1:28 pm • 4 0 • view
yeah, so many good reasons not to wade in.
aug 25, 2025, 1:31 pm • 2 0 • view
It's hard to comprehend why anyone in the police force would even entertain the idea, let alone open their mouth and say it publicly.
aug 25, 2025, 1:37 pm • 2 0 • view
Yeah, that's a really fucking stupid idea for a whole bunch of reasons, top of the list being the very high risk (I'd say it's almost a certainty) of physical violence, as you'd likely to be dealing with criminals, not a parent struggling to feed their kids, which I'd personally choose to ignore.
aug 25, 2025, 1:20 pm • 3 0 • view
Oh, I’m quite a bit taller and twice your weight, Kate, and I shall be standing right behind you as we both stare vaguely into the chiller cabinet in the opposite direction because I too do not fancy getting thumped…
aug 26, 2025, 10:08 am • 1 0 • view
The government surrendering its monopoly on the use of force and urging vigilantism is a good sign, right?
aug 25, 2025, 4:08 pm • 2 0 • view
It's not the government saying this, though
aug 25, 2025, 4:21 pm • 0 0 • view
A mate of mine is the sole security guard at a big fashion store - there used to be 2 guards, but the company decided that particular store was low risk so got rid of one. He saves the store £1000s a week, chasing after the same people walking out with baskets full of stock (£300-500) that
aug 25, 2025, 11:54 am • 4 0 • view
they then sell on but few are prosecuted and they usually return the next day and try again. The store must lose twice as much as he saves them, as gangs come in and split up - he can't follow them all. Companies shouldn't expect the public to act if they won't pay for enough security. Madness.
aug 25, 2025, 11:54 am • 7 0 • view
I imagine being a security guard in a shop is dismally thankless - badly paid and little job satisfaction if you're under-resourced and unsupported by the retailer.
aug 25, 2025, 12:36 pm • 9 0 • view
Weirdly, as he and the organised/regular shoplifters have come to know each other, he is always good humoured about it, and even though they can often be abusive, it has almost become some kind of game. I think that is the best way for him to deal with it, for his own well-being.
aug 25, 2025, 12:46 pm • 3 0 • view
that sounds like a wise coping strategy, tbh
aug 25, 2025, 12:52 pm • 1 0 • view
Asking the public to police is an admission the social contract has failed and just asking for an explosion of vigilantism. Madness. The government need to get a grip of this because it's a very visible prevalent crime that really pisses bystanders off and something bad will happen sooner or later.
aug 25, 2025, 9:29 am • 6 0 • view
Why the eff would I intervene when the store isn’t paying me?
aug 25, 2025, 4:26 pm • 4 0 • view