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When I was a young girl, assisting at the counter of my parents’ local store after school, my father showed me how to protect against thieves who target the cash register.

We owned a traditional cash register, featuring buttons and a compartment that popped open at the bottom – a genuine Open All Hours cash desk.

My father had learned through painful experience how simple it was for a thief to snatch a bundle of bills and flee. He taught me ways to make it harder for criminals by opening the drawer only partially and closing it swiftly.

Incidents targeting stores in Britain have long been an issue, a reality my family has experienced firsthand.

But now, due to a surge in theft and the participation of organized groupscrime, it has reached a critical stage.

At the same time, the judicial system appears to be on the brink of abandoning the effort completely, as shoplifting is frequently overlooked by law enforcement and merely disregarded by the courts.

This should come as no surprise to anyone – we have all witnessed it firsthand. Two years ago, Guy Adams published a critical special report for this newspaper highlighting how gangs destroy shops without consequence on a daily basis, with the police taking little or no action – even when presented with clear evidence.

Still, no action has been taken. Burglars are growing bolder each day. They enter shops and take everything from entire shelves into their bags. If security personnel or store employees attempt to stop them, the threat of violence quickly emerges.

Shoplifting is no longer an act carried out by rowdy groups of schoolchildren, challenging one another to steal a bag of candy or a bottle of soda. It is now orchestrated, with individuals arriving masked and quickly filling a large bag.

Outside the shop doors, the stolen items are subsequently sold openly — and seemingly without any concern for repercussions — in pubs, at car boot sales, in dubious shops, and through online marketplaces.

The head of Marks and Spencer, Stuart Machin, stated this month that retail theft has grown ‘more audacious, more structured, and more hostile’.

In February of last year, the USDAW shop workers’ union presented data indicating that ‘two-thirds of assaults on retail employees are initiated by theft or armed robbery’.

However, any staff member who courageously attempts to step in may end up facing consequences. Earlier this month, a 54-year-old employee from Waitrose, named Walker Smith, attempted to stop a thief from exiting a store in south London with a basket filled with Lindt chocolate Easter eggs.

He lost his job as a result of his bravery – although I’m glad to learn that another shop, Iceland, promptly provided him with a new position.

Nevertheless, it is only now, as his tenure as Prime Minister faces significant challenges, that Keir Starmer acknowledged shoplifting has turned into a criminal ‘free-for-all’. On the previous day, he unveiled new policies, among them the removal of the regulation that effectively decriminalizes stealing items worth under £200.

Indeed, Starmer is correct in describing the present situation as ‘disgraceful’. However, why has he remained inactive for such an extended period?

Our prime minister speaks a lot but takes little action—and this is widely recognized. Criminal groups will pay no attention, as they see him as weak and ineffective.

Labour’s performance on law and order is deeply disappointing, and I think Starmer’s administration is giving organized crime more power. Having served as home secretary, I am aware that each time the Conservatives introduced laws to combat crime, the Left consistently opposed them.

Rather than becoming stricter, one of Labour’s initial moves as a government in 2024 was to launch the early release program, which resulted in 38,000 inmates being released after serving less than half their sentences within nine months. Against this weak backdrop, retail theft has risen sharply. In the year leading up to September 2025, shoplifting incidents increased by 5 percent across England and Wales – from 492,660 cases to 519,381.

And these, naturally, are just the thefts that are actually documented. A greater number remain unreported or unnoticed.

The same applies to this government’s abysmal record on violent and abusive attacks on retail staff.

From August 2024 to 2025, law enforcement addressed only 31 percent of cases involving abuse, threats, and physical attacks against retail employees, as reported by the British Retail Consortium.

Sir Keir introduced new laws yesterday that will classify assaulting retail employees as a distinct criminal offense. However, how can employees or the public trust his commitments, given instances like widespread looting in Clapham, which were handled as little more than teenage mischief?

My family has been at the forefront as this wave of crime has continued to escalate. My father was part of the initial group of Asians who came from East Africa in the 1970s. Alongside my mother, he operated small shops and convenience stores for many years, just like my aunts and uncles. Some of my cousins and their children are still involved in this trade.

The conversation in our home revolved around ways to fight theft and verbal mistreatment. My own “zero tolerance” approach to crime was formed behind that counter.

It’s tiring to descend to the store before sunrise only to find, yet again, that thieves have broken in and stolen goods valued at thousands of pounds, mainly cigarettes and alcohol that are simple to sell on the black market.

Several family members experimented with different methods to keep unwanted visitors away, including alarms, iron bars, and even acquiring a guard dog.

The consequences of these break-ins are often overlooked, as individuals believe that insurance will compensate for the damages. However, we all end up bearing the cost, as increased premiums lead to higher prices. Too many people are involved, purchasing inexpensive items from unreliable sellers when it’s clear the products are stolen.

It’s all part of how crime is increasingly being seen as a normal aspect of society. Numerous individuals try to defend it by pointing to the high cost of living.

But that is pure double standards, as theft is one of the factors contributing to rising expenses.

Financial losses caused by shoplifting can be extremely overwhelming. Not all thefts are reimbursed by insurance policies. I have witnessed my father shut down his store after working 14 hours or longer, on the verge of tears as the day’s earnings were completely erased by thieves.

As my parents age, I am growing more worried about their well-being.

Reports in the newspaper about assaults on shop owners, carried out by attackers with knives and machetes, are occurring more and more often.

Following a series of shoplifting incidents at their store in Ipswich, along with verbal harassment, I urged them to sell the business and retire.

They agreed, albeit unwillingly. It’s a disturbing scenario where a couple, who have managed a business throughout their lives, no longer believe they can do so without risk. Britain ought to be above such circumstances.

I am aware, based on my role as an MP, that my family’s situation has become a common and alarming reality. The pressures are greater than before, the threats more intense, and the difficulties increasing. For those who deal with shoplifters on a daily basis, it can be extremely frightening.

Our local shops mirror the state of our community. Small businesses, similar to those I remember from my childhood, now have security cameras installed, Perspex barriers at the counters, and alcohol stored behind locked, barred windows.

Previously filled with beauty and bathroom items, the High Street shelves are now vacant, as any product left on display is at risk of being stolen. At the same time, the criminal justice system ignores the issue. It is not acceptable.

And it must not continue.

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