Annabelle Sanderson is the Deputy Chairman (Political) for Melksham and Devizes in Wiltshire.
The case of Walker Smith, fired from Waitrose after tackling shoplifters, has once again brought the case of shoplifting to the headlines.
It comes only a week after gangs of youths looted the Marks and Spencer in Clapham High Street. The reality is that in the UK, we’ve essentially decriminalised shoplifting and robbery. Retail staff are told not to tackle shoplifters, primarily for their own safety. It’s the fear that these criminals may be armed or may turn violent; a consequence any company will not expect its staff to face.
Most shoplifters aren’t violent, they just want free stuff.
The one’s I’ve experienced steal to feed their habit, and they are repeat offenders, known to city marshals and local police. Some steal for the buzz and many, just because they can. But some will be violent, and we must be mindful of that.
There are always some people who will step in; often passers-by who know that store staff are hamstrung by company policy and unable to stop them. But they too are afraid. What if their Good Samaritan intervention leads to them getting into trouble?
I’ve spoken to many people who say they think twice about apprehending a robber, not just because these days they may well be armed or vicious, but because the law might come down on the side of the thief.
Whether or not that’s true, that’s the perception. It’s the invidious creep of human rights laws where we have seen illegal immigrants given the right to stay in this country for utterly spurious reasons such as a preference for chicken nuggets and people who make welfare a lifestyle choice better off than many who work.
Retail staff these days expect theft, and sadly, they expect nothing to be done about it. Some stores don’t even have CCTV because they don’t see the point if the perpetrators are never charged and prosecuted.
Security guards don’t have the powers to detain so unless the police literally witness it happening, they will get away. And if an arrest does happen? They’ll probably still get away with it in the long run.
Because under Labour’s new sentencing guidelines, there is a presumption to suspend sentences of 12 months or less and it mandates early release at 33 per cent of sentences for eligible prisoners who ‘behave well’. ‘Low value (£200 or less) thefts’ lead to fines, community orders or up to 51 weeks in custody. So no ‘bird’, under Lammy’s Law. For thefts under £10,000 it’s about 6 months’ custody.
In conversations I’ve had with law enforcement, they’re beyond frustrated. They know even if they do arrest someone and get them in front of the judge, the repeat offenders who are responsible for most of the city based crime of theft, antisocial behaviour, criminal damage and drink and drugs offences, will be released. Released back to their taxpayer funded accommodation, in many cases.
Historically, we were considered the party of law and order but our reputation suffered considerably over the omnishambles of 2022-24. The polling shows this was driven by the perception (and probably, the reality) that petty crime wasn’t being managed and the prison system was not fit for purpose.
That’s what the Conservatives must tackle.
When it comes to law and order, there are a multitude of threads which need to be brought together. But we’re more than a slogan or a hastily called press conference. Abolishing the Sentencing Council and putting ministers in charge of sentencing is the right move, as is increasing the number of police by 10,000. Live Facial Recognition will also help to stop those repeat offenders and those who really do not care about their Criminal Behaviour Orders and city centre exclusions – if there are the police numbers and the political will to take action when they are spotted. The Good Samaritan Act is another arrow in the quiver of the Conservative Party’s plan to take back our streets from criminals.
But none of this will work without one essential ingredient: consequences.
Without prison places, without police on the streets, and without a justice system prepared to punish repeat offenders, this trend of lawlessness will continue.
Criminals know now that shoplifting is tolerated, just as they know they can smoke drugs openly in the streets or steal a phone from out of someone’s hand with virtually no come back.
That has to change.
We need to create a climate where crime is dealt with, not accommodated; where persistent offenders face swift and visible punishment and where decent, law-abiding people know the system is on their side.
That means proper enforcement, meaningful community sentences, and the confidence that those who step in to prevent wrongdoing will not be punished for doing so.
That is why the Good Samaritan Act matters. Not because it is a silver bullet but because it sets the direction of travel: with the law abiding, not the law breaking.
Our message must be clear.
We’re standing up for the retail staff, the passer by who intervenes, the police who want these people off our streets but cannot be everywhere. The family whose bills are going up because of crime, the low paid worker who gets up every day to go to work even though Labour have made benefits, not work, pay.
These are our people, not the criminals, and it is up to the Conservative Party to stand up for them and to tell them yes, we know we messed up. Yes, we forgot how to be Conservative amongst the melee of trying to be all things to all people.
But we’ve a new leader now with a new team and a new message that if you do the right thing, if you obey the law and if you want a society where justice is not an optional extra but the very basis of our society then we, the Conservative Party, are on your side.
Annabelle Sanderson is the Deputy Chairman (Political) for Melksham and Devizes in Wiltshire.
The case of Walker Smith, fired from Waitrose after tackling shoplifters, has once again brought the case of shoplifting to the headlines.
It comes only a week after gangs of youths looted the Marks and Spencer in Clapham High Street. The reality is that in the UK, we’ve essentially decriminalised shoplifting and robbery. Retail staff are told not to tackle shoplifters, primarily for their own safety. It’s the fear that these criminals may be armed or may turn violent; a consequence any company will not expect its staff to face.
Most shoplifters aren’t violent, they just want free stuff.
The one’s I’ve experienced steal to feed their habit, and they are repeat offenders, known to city marshals and local police. Some steal for the buzz and many, just because they can. But some will be violent, and we must be mindful of that.
There are always some people who will step in; often passers-by who know that store staff are hamstrung by company policy and unable to stop them. But they too are afraid. What if their Good Samaritan intervention leads to them getting into trouble?
I’ve spoken to many people who say they think twice about apprehending a robber, not just because these days they may well be armed or vicious, but because the law might come down on the side of the thief.
Whether or not that’s true, that’s the perception. It’s the invidious creep of human rights laws where we have seen illegal immigrants given the right to stay in this country for utterly spurious reasons such as a preference for chicken nuggets and people who make welfare a lifestyle choice better off than many who work.
Retail staff these days expect theft, and sadly, they expect nothing to be done about it. Some stores don’t even have CCTV because they don’t see the point if the perpetrators are never charged and prosecuted.
Security guards don’t have the powers to detain so unless the police literally witness it happening, they will get away. And if an arrest does happen? They’ll probably still get away with it in the long run.
Because under Labour’s new sentencing guidelines, there is a presumption to suspend sentences of 12 months or less and it mandates early release at 33 per cent of sentences for eligible prisoners who ‘behave well’. ‘Low value (£200 or less) thefts’ lead to fines, community orders or up to 51 weeks in custody. So no ‘bird’, under Lammy’s Law. For thefts under £10,000 it’s about 6 months’ custody.
In conversations I’ve had with law enforcement, they’re beyond frustrated. They know even if they do arrest someone and get them in front of the judge, the repeat offenders who are responsible for most of the city based crime of theft, antisocial behaviour, criminal damage and drink and drugs offences, will be released. Released back to their taxpayer funded accommodation, in many cases.
Historically, we were considered the party of law and order but our reputation suffered considerably over the omnishambles of 2022-24. The polling shows this was driven by the perception (and probably, the reality) that petty crime wasn’t being managed and the prison system was not fit for purpose.
That’s what the Conservatives must tackle.
When it comes to law and order, there are a multitude of threads which need to be brought together. But we’re more than a slogan or a hastily called press conference. Abolishing the Sentencing Council and putting ministers in charge of sentencing is the right move, as is increasing the number of police by 10,000. Live Facial Recognition will also help to stop those repeat offenders and those who really do not care about their Criminal Behaviour Orders and city centre exclusions – if there are the police numbers and the political will to take action when they are spotted. The Good Samaritan Act is another arrow in the quiver of the Conservative Party’s plan to take back our streets from criminals.
But none of this will work without one essential ingredient: consequences.
Without prison places, without police on the streets, and without a justice system prepared to punish repeat offenders, this trend of lawlessness will continue.
Criminals know now that shoplifting is tolerated, just as they know they can smoke drugs openly in the streets or steal a phone from out of someone’s hand with virtually no come back.
That has to change.
We need to create a climate where crime is dealt with, not accommodated; where persistent offenders face swift and visible punishment and where decent, law-abiding people know the system is on their side.
That means proper enforcement, meaningful community sentences, and the confidence that those who step in to prevent wrongdoing will not be punished for doing so.
That is why the Good Samaritan Act matters. Not because it is a silver bullet but because it sets the direction of travel: with the law abiding, not the law breaking.
Our message must be clear.
We’re standing up for the retail staff, the passer by who intervenes, the police who want these people off our streets but cannot be everywhere. The family whose bills are going up because of crime, the low paid worker who gets up every day to go to work even though Labour have made benefits, not work, pay.
These are our people, not the criminals, and it is up to the Conservative Party to stand up for them and to tell them yes, we know we messed up. Yes, we forgot how to be Conservative amongst the melee of trying to be all things to all people.
But we’ve a new leader now with a new team and a new message that if you do the right thing, if you obey the law and if you want a society where justice is not an optional extra but the very basis of our society then we, the Conservative Party, are on your side.