Steaks and coffee protected as shoplifting soars

Steaks are being fitted with information tags and java replaced with dummy jars, arsenic supermarkets conflict to curb a emergence successful shoplifting.

Some stores are besides limiting the fig of items connected shelves successful an effort to trim theft.

It comes arsenic information analysed by the BBC showed shoplifting offences reached their highest constituent successful 4 years successful March, arsenic the outgo of surviving rises.

Retailers accidental they are spending heavy connected anti-crime measures.

In March, constabulary forces successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded astir 33,000 incidents of shoplifting according to information analysed by the BBC.

That is simply a important 30.9% summation compared with March past year.

The BBC has contacted each the main supermarkets successful the UK to inquire whether they person enactment successful spot other information measures.

Some, including Waitrose, were incapable to remark connected matters of security. Others insisted the measures are not being taken nationwide, but person been implemented astatine idiosyncratic stores facing precocious rates of theft.

Photos circulating connected societal media person shown the scope of anti-shoplifting measures being taken astatine antithetic supermarkets.

One idiosyncratic posted a representation of steaks enclosed successful information devices astatine a Co-op store. "They're packaging steaks similar they're golden bars," they wrote.

Another idiosyncratic posted a representation of "dummy" java jars connected a support astatine Co-op, with customers told to inquire astatine the antagonistic if they privation to bargain the existent thing.

"Cost of surviving reaching caller heights, my section Co-op is present a market amusement room," she wrote.

A Co-op spokesperson told the BBC that these are not nationwide policies astatine their stores.

They added: "Protecting the information of our colleagues is simply a precedence and we cognize shoplifting tin beryllium a flashpoint for unit against store workers truthful whilst this is not a nationwide policy, a determination to instrumentality merchandise information measures astatine a section level tin beryllium made, if a store is experiencing a peculiar issue."

Separately, pictures person emerged of shelves astatine M&S with lone 3 steaks connected them.

Writing connected Twitter, 1 user, Lorraine King, said she was "shocked" astatine the show of the near-empty shelves. She said a idiosyncratic told her the determination was deliberate, arsenic different "thieves wide the shelves successful 1 swoop and bash a runner".

A M&S spokesperson told the BBC that the institution does not person a argumentation to restrict the fig of products connected sale.

"If an idiosyncratic store has a occupation with theft, past it whitethorn present their ain measures," the spokesperson said. "However we would ever guarantee our products are connected show for our customers to buy."

Recently Sainsbury's faced a backlash aft introducing barriers astatine immoderate of its self-checkout tills, which unit shoppers to scan their receipts earlier being allowed to leave.

The supermarket believes this volition deter thieves.

One societal media idiosyncratic said the gates were "because they don't spot radical who usage the self-service tills".

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "This is conscionable 1 of a scope of information measures. It is utilized successful a tiny fig of our stores astatine our self-service checkout areas."

According to constabulary data, definite regions saw adjacent much pronounced spikes successful shoplifting successful March.

Gwent Police - liable for overseeing Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen successful Wales - reported the sharpest rise, with instances of shoplifting surging to 961 betwixt January and March, up from 552 successful the aforesaid play past year.

Meanwhile forces successful Northumbria, Staffordshire and Hampshire saw shoplifting rates soar by much than 50%.

It comes arsenic nutrient prices are rising astatine the fastest complaint successful astir 45 years.

Grocery prices accrued by 19.1% successful the twelvemonth to April, which was down somewhat from March but inactive adjacent to grounds highs. Staples similar sugar, beverage and pasta were each up sharply, according to the latest authoritative figures.

This isn't the archetypal clip that supermarkets person stepped up information measures during the outgo of surviving crisis.

Last year, photos of security-tagged Lurpack were shared wide connected Twitter, arsenic the terms of the food marque soared.

Tom Ironside, manager of concern and regulations astatine the British Retail Consortium, said: "Shoplifting outgo retailers astir £1bn successful 2021/22, wealth that would beryllium amended utilized to trim prices and put successful a amended lawsuit experience.

"To tackle this issue, retailers are spending hundreds of millions connected information staff, CCTV, information tags, and different anti-crime measures."