Luton shoplifters 'getting away with it', says storekeeper

Ms Patel said she the Morrisons Daily store is targeted by shoplifters on a weekly basis

A shopkeeper who says her business is targeted by thieves on a weekly basis feels "let down" by police.

Holly Patel, supervisor at Mollys Supermarket in Lewsey Farm in Luton, said criminals were encouraged because "police won't do anything about it".

She also criticised the crime reporting system as too laborious and said uploading evidence came with a cost.

Bedfordshire Police said it had recently started a new operation targeting shoplifters.

Ms Patel said submitting evidence to the police came with a cost of putting it on a USB stick and posting it by special delivery

Ms Patel explained she had to upload CCTV images on to a USB stick, which she said she has to pay for, and then also had to cover the costs of posting it by special delivery to the force.

When she asked if she could instead upload the images of the criminals online she said she was told that was not yet possible.

In one case she claimed she sent CCTV footage and the name and address of a suspect to the police, but said she was told it was insufficient evidence.

'Wall of shame'

She said it was very frustrating and felt like the criminals were "getting away with it".

Ms Patel has even gone to the lengths of putting up pictures of suspected shoplifters on a "wall of shame".

Now she is urging the police to help her business and provide more support to help catch the criminals.

Ch Insp Mike Chand said: "We have received eight reports of shoplifting in the Lewsey area over the last six months, which is significantly lower than other areas in Luton, which is why we would call on shop owners to report such incidents to us as often as they occur so we can take the most appropriate action."

He said the force had recently started Operation Belleville which aimed to reduce retail crime across the county.

The force was targeting the top 10 most prolific known shoplifters.