From Dailymail · · 3m
Shoplifters now violent enough for raids to be classified as robberies
Violent shoplifting raids in UK are being recorded as robberies after a surge in business thefts.
In brief
Violent shoplifting raids in UK are being recorded as robberies after a surge in business thefts. UK police now classify violent shoplifting raids as robberies after a 67% rise in business robberies. Originally reported by Dailymail.
Shoplifting rates fall slightly
Recorded shoplifting fell 2 per cent to 519,516 from a near-peak the previous year.
Business robberies surge
Official data shows recorded robbery surged 10 per cent year-on-year to 88,282 - its highest level since before the pandemic.
Business robberies jump 67%
Robberies of businesses soared 67 per cent to more than 31,000 - the highest on record.
Changing crime recording
The Association of Convenience Stores said the rise in robbery may reflect the violence used by shoplifters, leading to a shift in how the crime is recorded by police.
ACS chief warns
Chief executive Ed Woodall added: 'We are extremely concerned about the changing nature of theft against retailers. Offenders are becoming more confident, more brazen and ultimately more violent in their crimes.'
Jewellers raided in January
Three armed robbers conducted a daylight raid of a family-run jewellers where they stole gems worth £225,000 in January.
Three men jailed
Deniz Mehmet, 28, Lee Ramsey, 46, and Robert Clarke, 50, were seen on video smashing the windows of Gregory & Co in Richmond, south-west London, in January.
Jewellers attacked
Footage taken by witnesses that later went viral showed staff bravely trying to fend off the attackers, who escaped on foot.
Thieves stole £225k
One of the men, wearing dark clothes and a hood, was seen repeatedly pounding the shop's large glass window, which eventually smashed and was yanked away.
Thieves stuffed bags
His accomplice, also in dark clothes, stood holding a large blue Ikea bag, which the pair then stuffed full of watches, bracelets and other items.
Thieves fled scene
Staff could be seen trying to stop the thieves, but the trio fled the scene on foot in front of horrified onlookers who feared for their own safety.
Three men sentenced
Clarke, of Rochford, Ramsey, of Harlow, and Mehmet, of Basildon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and were each sentenced to five years and three months.
Jewellery shop tunnel break-in
In a separate incident, thieves were caught as they tried to tunnel their way into a jewellery shop after an investigation linked them to a spate of burglaries worth more than £700,000.
Tunnel break-in caught
Officers caught them at 3.12am on July 17 as they tried to sneak into the shop in Tooting, south London.
Three men arrested
Video showed police rumbling the suspects, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage, as they retreated back down the tunnel.
Three men arrested
Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, was arrested in a nearby alleyway before officers tracked a second man - Ioan Asafeti, 39 - to a hiding place on a rooftop.
Third man arrested
The third member of the gang, Sergiu Plastin, 42, was arrested later that day as he attempted to flee to Ireland from Stansted airport.
The headline
UK police now classify violent shoplifting raids as robberies after a 67% rise in business robberies.
