Rishi Sunak today pledged to “stop shoplifters in their tracks” with a tough set of measures.
In response to an epidemic of violent thefts, assaulting a shop worker will become a specific offense for the first time, the Prime Minister has said.
Prolific shoplifters will also be fitted with electronic GPS satellite tags so their movements can be tracked.
Mr Sunak, writing exclusively in the Daily Mail, says: “Fundamentally there is something wrong when people think they can walk into their local shop and just buy whatever they want without paying.
“We’re going to tackle this head on. And together, with the police and retailers, we will stop shoplifters in their tracks.
Assault on a shop worker will become a specific offense for the first time, says Prime Minister (Stock image)
The latest crime data showed a 32 per cent rise in shoplifting, costing the sector more than £3 billion a year.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said assaulting retail staff would constitute a specific criminal offence.
She will be punishable by imprisonment of up to six months, or an unlimited fine, and a ban on returning to the store where the offense took place.
Thieves caught shoplifting three times, or assaulting staff three times, could be required to wear a GPS tag. The government will invest £55 million in facial recognition technology for police over the next four years, including £4 million in “mobile units” on the street to identify criminals using CCTV. “Units will take live images of the crowd… comparing the images with specific people wanted by police or banned from that location,” an Interior Ministry spokesperson said.
“The police in the area will then be alerted so that they can track down these offenders.”
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