Businessman 'losing thousands' to shoplifters

Rashid Majothi says shoplifters are often stealing "luxury" items

A food shop owner says he is losing thousands of pounds worth of stock every week to shoplifters.

Rashid Majothi, who co-owns Bristol Sweet Mart, on St Marks Road, Easton, says the business has been forced to hire a security guard after 50 years of trading, also hitting his income.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show shoplifting offences rose by 48% last year, across the Avon and Somerset area, with more than 14,700 offences reported, compared to 2022.

Neighbourhood Policing Insp Tom Gent says the force "are really focused on engaging with businesses" and "looking at the most prolific offenders " to try and tackle the problem.

Insp Gent says officers are also setting up a team who will specifically look at the most prolific offenders.

Rashid Majothi says he wants to see more "police on the beat"

Mr Majothi said while he does not know the total figure of his losses, he knows the amount is "becoming big" despite efforts to stop shoplifters.

In January, another Bristol shopkeeper said he was losing up to £300 a week to shoplifting.

According to the ONS, there have been more reports made to Avon and Somerset Police than any other force in the South West, and the yearly increase is above the national average of about 36%.

“We look on our systems and we can see we’ve not sold a particular product but it’s not there," says Mr Majothi.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show shoplifting offences rose by 48% last year

Mr Majothi says the majority of the items stolen are deemed "luxury items" such as coffee and honey, and he feels the rise in crime has a lot to do with the cost-of-living crisis

“People who could have the luxury products can no longer have them."

He says that while he can understand that police are "stretched", he feels they need to "work a lot more with the community".

"I think a lot more emphasis needs to be on police on the beat, that really needs to increase," he adds.

“We need to take a step to protect the business and make sure we’re still here tomorrow."

'Root cause'

Insp Gent says police are actively working to better their relationships with businesses, encouraging them to report crime and trying to actively pursue prolific offenders.

The root case of shoplifting is "often drugs" he says, and so officers are looking to use legislation to direct people towards treatment.

Insp Gent says Avon and Somerset is also looking at the use of antisocial behaviour laws and civil orders.

"It's definitely not a victimless crime. We're really aware of the impact it has on both smaller businesses and bigger businesses.

"We do really care," he adds.

'Part to play'

Sam Holliday, Federation of Small Businesses for Gloucestershire and the West of England, says shoplifting "can be the difference with staying open or not".

"Our fear is that the shoplifting that you see at the moment are only a small proportion really because a lot of shopkeepers will say 'there's no point reporting a crime because we don't necessarily see any action after it'."

"The police have a part to play, but we all have a part to play," he adds.