Cost of living: Policing boss 'not judging' food thefts to feed family

The caput of policing successful West Yorkshire has said she would not justice idiosyncratic for stealing nutrient to provender their household amid the outgo of surviving crisis.

Deputy Mayor Alison Lowe told the BBC she understood however poorness could propulsion radical to interruption the law.

She said: "You can't provender your household and stealing a loaf of breadstuff tin bash that, you know, I'm personally not judging."

The unit said it was committed to investigating reports of theft.

Ms Lowe, the West Yorkshire lawman politician for policing and crime, said thefts owed to desperation were a "curse of the outgo of surviving crisis" that nine had to address.

"Crime is 1 of the things that tends to spell up during a outgo of surviving crisis," she told Politics North.

"If you've got to provender your household and you can't provender your household and stealing a loaf of breadstuff tin bash that [feed them], you know, I'm personally not judging.

"I'm not the police, thankfully, truthful I don't person to apprehension them.

"The constabulary mightiness person to apprehension them, but I americium not a constabulary officer."

Fresh nutrient prices rose astatine a grounds rate of 15% successful December, with the outgo of basics specified arsenic milk, food and eggs each surging past year.

Neighbouring unit South Yorkshire Police has reported increasing numbers of people, including young mothers, stealing retired of desperation, portion the seat of Merseyside's Police and Crime Panel has linked a "massive rise" successful supermarket shoplifting to the outgo of surviving crisis.

West Yorkshire Police recorded 14,752 shoplifting offences successful the 2011/22 fiscal year, up from 10,515 successful the erstwhile 12 months.

Last year's figures were down from 18,196 successful 2019/20 but whitethorn person been affected by the Covid pandemic and pre-date the existent outgo of surviving crisis.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said it was "broadly acknowledged that poorness and deprivation tin beryllium a origin affecting transgression rates".

They added: "It is important that each agencies enactment unneurotic to supply assistance and enactment to members of our communities who are successful need.

"West Yorkshire Police is committed to investigating reports of theft and taking due enactment wherever suspects are identified."

You tin spot the afloat interrogation connected Sunday 29 January connected Politics North (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) connected BBC One from 10:00 GMT oregon via the BBC iPlayer afterwards.