'There's little we can do about brazen shoplifters'

Leanne Fridd says the cost of insuring her business has gone up

Owners of independent shops in a city centre have said there is "very little" they can do about shoplifting.

Leanne Fridd, who runs a bookshop in Norwich, said she lost about £1,000 of stock this year when products for a popular children's digital audio player were stolen.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there have been more than 1,000 shoplifting offences recorded in Norfolk since 2023.

Norfolk Police's Chief Constable said dealing with it was part of his force's "core business".

Leanne Fridd believes her shop was "targeted"

Ms Fridd, who owns Bookbugs and Dragon Tales in Timberhill, said shoplifting put up the cost of insurance, adding: "It really does have an impact on us, especially as a family business."

She said she believed her shop was "targeted".

"Ultimately, there's very, very little we can do, which is a real shame as it makes us less trusting of our customers.

"We don't want to put things behind glass cabinets," she said.

'Fearless and brazen'

Helen Shepherd, owner of Sinsins Boutique of Love, an adult entertainment store in St Benedict's Street, said she had made changes to how the business operates to try to beat the shoplifters.

"Once I started realising what was happening, I kind of saw it a lot more.

"These are my things, this is my bank account. Certainly last year things were difficult.

She added: "On days when you're making nothing, you're going into minus figures."

She said not everything can be captured on CCTV.

"I don't think anybody wants to be in a position where they are stealing to order just to make a few quid. I don't think that's anybody's dream."

She said only so much could be done in a busy shop, and described some shoplifters as "so fearless and brazen".

Norfolk Constabulary said it charges people in 31.7% of cases - the highest charge rate for shoplifting offences in England and Wales.

Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: "We deal with shoplifting as part of our core business, as we know the impact this has on our high street.

"This is achieved by targeting and disrupting prolific offenders, working closely with retailers, using CCTV and encouraging reporting.

"Our efforts do not stop at the point of detection, and we will aim to prevent reoffending using Criminal Behaviour Orders to ban prolific offenders from the shops they persistently target."