Just 1% of Britons have “a great deal” of confidence in the police to tackle shoplifting, a YouGov poll has revealed.
The data comes as Greater Manchester Police (GMP) marked Safer Business Action Week by promising to be proactive in their commitment to helping businesses.
Part of this promise included searching for shoplifters, talking to shop owners to discuss security and undertaking proactive patrols of criminal hotspots.
However, the results of the YouGov poll suggest the public do not have faith in the police to be able to deal with the issue of theft.
#NEWS | Today, (October 16) marks the beginning of Safer Business Action Week and Greater Manchester Police is ensuring that it demonstrates its commitment to businesses across every single district with a range of proactive work.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) October 16, 2023
Read more here: https://t.co/P8PMQLi8qM pic.twitter.com/Ywoq2Oq7yq
Only 10% of those polled said they had a “fair amount” of confidence in the authorities to tackle shoplifting which, combined with the 1% who have “a great deal” of confidence, means only 11% back the police to handle the issue of shoplifting.
Indeed, nearly half of Brits say they are not very confident in the police tackling shoplifting, whilst 34% report they have no confidence at all.
The public’s perception comes as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded an increase of theft offences against businesses, such as shoplifting, of 25% from the year ending June 2022 to the year ending June 2023.
The police are launching a new strategy to tackle shoplifting – but most Britons have little or no confidence in their ability to do so
— YouGov (@YouGov) October 24, 2023
No confidence at all: 34%
Not very much: 49%
Fair amount: 10%
Great deal: 1%https://t.co/crer7kGEFo pic.twitter.com/D2PQfeFhL9
This increase comes despite ONS statistics showing overall crime in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level on record.
The growth in shoplifting has been attributed to the cost-of-living crisis by many – particularly the sharp rise in food prices.
Trust in the ability of the police to solve the issue is clearly low, in spite of GMP’s promise to clamp down on shoplifting during Safer Business Action Week.
Feature image by King’s Church International.
