Business owner tackles shoplifting by arresting offenders

By Amy Reast

A shopkeeper says he has managed to turn the tide on the record rates of shoplifting seen across the nation - by carrying out his own citizen's arrests.

Shoplifting in the UK hit a record $2.2bn last year, alongside surging crime levels and rising violence and abuse against staff, data revealed today.

Martin Gaunt, 62, runs his gift shop, Happy Pirhana, in Truro, Cornwall and was fed up of shoplifters - and what he says was a lack of "proper" support from the police.

So he started taking action himself - using his powers of arrest under Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 - to detain them until police arrive.

And after more than 50 arrests in 2023 and 2024 and says it's working - cutting theft at his shop by 80%.

He says retailers and police "invite shoplifters to come and steal" by "doing nothing" to tackle soaring theft rates.

And taking security out of stores, and businesses telling staff "don't get involved" has led to "the perfect storm."

"Because we have taken proactive measures in our shop, it has reduced," he said.

"However I'm a member of our local Shopwatch group. Up and down the high street we're seeing the shoplifters simply going to the other shops instead.

"My shoplifting is down dramatically but the crime has gone elsewhere.

"There are less people in physical shops these days, and larger shops have removed security because it's cheaper to take the loss.

"Smaller shops are told 'don't get involved, leave it to the police', but the police can't do anything either.

"The result is, it's emboldened the criminal and brought crime into our areas.

"Even if shops do have a security guard, it's a visual deterrent. That's ok - until they know you have no film in your camera.

"We can never stop shoplifting, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to control it. More should be done."

The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Annual Crime Survey said today retail crime is at its highest level on record.

Retail violence and abuse increased over 50% to more than 2,000 incidents a day, it said, and losses from customer theft reached a record $2.2 billion in 2023/24.

Martin said part of the issue is caused by less customers visiting in-person stores, meaning less staff are in at any given time.

This means, if anyone does choose to target a store, there's little that can be done about it.

Similarly, larger businesses are choosing to save cash by reducing or removing their security staff and CCTV.

But he said this leaves them unprotected as soon as shoplifters realize they have an opportunity.

He said: "It's an invite to 'come and steal, we won't do anything about it'."

While he said sometimes people question if he has the right to use a citizen's arrest in his stores, he feels it's appropriate and necessary.

He reckons he has cut crime in his store by 80% doing so.

He added: "As a society, we're scared of our shadows.

"We should be doing something - people have chosen to do nothing for so long.

"To stop it, we have to confront it somehow."

Martin said he doesn't feel that arresting and imprisoning shoplifters is the answer.

But he suggested immediate penalty fines, community resolution orders, cautions and criminal behavior orders may help.

He said: "Our prisons are full, I know - I'm not saying chop off their hands.

"But we need to stop looking at what we can't do, and look at what we can do.

"We need to see things from a street level up - getting officers out in town.

"At the moment, by doing nothing, we're making it a free for all - people think 'its free money'.

"Even the borderline 'good people' see what's happening and think, 'well if everyone else is doing it, why shouldn't I?'"