Rise in shoplifting: ‘Her son was crying and hungry so she stole food’

Sam Canning was given a thank you card after paying for the mum's stolen goods.

The cost of living crisis has seen a significant rise in the shoplifting of everyday goods. Now one security guard, who caught the mother of a hungry child stealing food, has said he found himself in the middle of a "heartbreaking" situation.

"Her son was crying and hungry so she stole the hot food," he said.

"It's all types of people. You can't just pick someone out and say 'that's a shoplifter'.

Sam Canning, from Bath, is getting used to dealing with an increasing number of shoplifters.

Standing at over 6ft (180cm) tall, he said he is not afraid of "dangerous" situations.

But that was not the dilemma that faced him in October.

On that day, he experienced a desperate mother trying to feed her child.

Mr Canning has the nickname The Viking

A few weeks later, the mum was back in the store - but this time, she came with a thank you card for the 33-year-old security guard who had paid for her stolen goods.

"She put a tenner in the card, said thank you and gave me a hug," he said.

"She explained that she's got a job and she's turned her life around."

Mr Canning said he could see there was a "genuine reason" for the mother stealing the food.

"She was living in a hostel and came in to steal food for her son who was in a pushchair," he said.

"There's a lot more theft in just day-to-day items where people can't afford stuff."

Recent Home Office figures show that there have been nearly 30,000 shoplifting incidents in the south west of England between 2022 and 2023.

This represents a 35% increase - the largest regional increase for this period across England and Wales.

Shop workers have told the BBC they are seeing a range of circumstances surrounding thefts - everything from parents trying to feed their children, to organised crime.

Bador Uddin said staff tackle shoplifters on a daily basis, often without the support of a security guard

Bador Uddin has been working in a supermarket for nearly 20 years and is now a senior representative for USDAW (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers).

He said not all shoplifters are doing so out of desperation and admitted the increase in incidents had been taking its toll.

"You don't know what's going to happen. I feel really scared to go into work," said Mr Uddin.

"Some of the shoplifters push you as they want to get out quickly or they spit in your face.

"You get racially abused, verbally abused and physically abused.

"I feel so sad, so low, like I can't deal with this kind of job anymore."

'Building the bigger picture'

Mr Uddin said he loves his job but having to deal with shoplifters every day had left him and his colleagues mentally broken.

He said he reports all the incidents to the police but officers do not always turn up to investigate.

Shoplifting will soon be treated like organised crime as part of a new plan to help police crack down on theft.

Police have committed to attending more crime scenes and using facial recognition software to target offenders after retailers complained of a failure to tackle a rise in shoplifting.

Insp Jon Nash, neighbourhood inspector for Avon and Somerset Police, said a lot of work goes on behind the scenes.

"It might not feel like you're getting an instant response but what we're also doing is building the bigger picture," he added.

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The store where Mr Uddin works has introduced its own anti-theft measures by putting dummy stock on the shelves.

"We put empty jars of expensive products, like coffee, baby milk and washing up detergent on the shelves," he said.

The customers then have to ask staff for the real products which are kept in the stock room.

Mr Uddin said while the system was helping, some customers get very frustrated with it.

Jess Merritt-Johns had to take a colleague to hospital after they were assaulted by a shoplifter

His store is not the only one stepping-up security in an effort to deter thieves.

Jess Merritt-Johns is the store manager of House of Fraser, in Bath.

"We have facial recognition cameras on each of the doors so if you have committed a crime in-store before, we will get an alert.

"This way we can go and remove them from the store immediately," she said.

'Do this for a living'

Ms Merritt-Johns said the technology had been an "absolute game-changer" but they were still facing problems with organised gangs.

"We do have a small amount of petty shoplifting but a big portion of what we're finding now is organised crime," she said.

"We get gangs and people using distraction techniques and foil-lined bags.

"They're professional, they do this for a living."

Security guard Olivia Grayling, 23, said she has to regularly chase shoplifters

Down the road from House of Fraser, Olivia Grayling is a 23-year-old security guard.

She was catching her breath, as she had been running after a shoplifter who had stolen nearly £300 worth of designer handbags.

"I'd say probably once every few weeks to a month, I'm chasing someone down the street trying to get the stock back," Ms Grayling said.

"I have a calendar in my office and if I look at last year's incidents to this year's, it's probably doubled.

"It's always all different types of people doing it."

Ms Grayling said she is now used to the abuse from shoplifters and is confident about handling herself in difficult situations.

"There's always people around to support as, all the shops have City Link radios and the PCSOs and the police will have links to it as well," she said.

"So if anything kicks-off, you know that they've got your back."