Go softer on shoplifters, say half the public in survey

Just one in three (35 per cent) of Britons would report someone to the police who they believed was selling goods that had been shoplifted. Those aged 35 years and over are the most likely to report someone (40 per cent), but this figure falls to just 26 per cent for those aged 16-34 years old.

Over 17.5 million Britons aged 16-64 agree with sentencing advisory panel recommendations that the toughest penalty for shoplifting should be a community service order rather than a custodial sentence.

The results are “worrying trends in terms of public attitudes to shoplifting," says the company.

Conservative MP for Ribble Valley Nigel Evans expressed concern and said that "removing the deterrent of a jail sentence may be perceived as providing a 'green light' for shoplifters" and Douglas Greenwell, Sales & Marketing Director of G4S Security Services (UK) said "Support for a reduction in the toughest penalty for shoplifting, from a custodial sentence to a high-level community order, reinforces the perception that shoplifting is a 'victimless' crime".

"There appears to be a worrying softening in attitudes towards shoplifting in Britain and the penalties for offenders. This sends the wrong message to shoplifters and will make it increasingly difficult for those seeking to tackle the problem.

“It is in the public interest for this scourge of the retail sector to be discouraged as far as possible."

A quarter (26 per cent) of Britons would purchase an item they suspected had been shoplifted. Those aged 16-24 are the most likely with 40 per cent saying they would purchase such an item.

At 19 per cent, people in the North West were the least likely to purchase goods they thought had been shoplifted but this rose to 32 per cent for those in Greater London and Wales & West of England.

Londoners were the least likely to report those selling suspected stolen merchandise to the police, with only 29 per cent of adults prepared to report it compared to 42 per cent of those living in the North West.

Britons that would purchase merchandise if the price was sufficiently attractive even if they suspected it had been shoplifted:

• Greater London 32 per cent;
• Wales & West 32 per cent;
• Midlands/Scotland 28 per cent;
• South East/East Anglia 22 per cent;
• North East/Yorks/Humber 21 per cent;
• North West 19 per cent.