Shopkeepers are facing shoplifters at the festival.

Shopkeeper Martin Gaunt says he has made more than 50 citizen’s arrests in the past two years in what he describes as an “innumerable” onslaught of shoplifting incidents.

“These people will threaten you, they will raise their fists… there comes a point where you need to think about your safety,” he says.

Anyone can arrest a person if they have reasonable grounds to believe they are committing a serious crime – but the National Police Chiefs Council says people should call 999 if a crime is in progress. Must call.

With shoplifting in England at a record high, according to the Home Office, some retailers say they have no choice but to deal with thieves themselves.

Standing in his gift shop Happy Piranha in Truro, Cornwall, with CCTV cameras mounted above his head, Mr Gaunt says he would do nothing but expose criminals to protect his family’s livelihood. Do not leave the way.

He initially asks a thief to return the goods, he says, but if they refuse he will “block their way out” – telling them to detain them until the police arrive. It is a right to keep.

But sometimes it turns violent.

After a younger man became “aggressive”, pinning his son to the ground, he intervened and suffered broken ribs that he “felt for weeks”.

“We see a dramatic increase in shoplifting around Christmas,” he says.

Mr Gantt says the police “rarely if ever” attend when called – and the first thing they ask is whether the offender is “still on site”.

“If you make a citizen’s arrest, you should get a police presence,” he adds.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 469,788 shoplifting incidents in England and Wales in the year to June – a 28% increase on 2023.

It was worse in Devon and Cornwall – a 37% increase in shoplifting offenses to 8,775.

Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides for the power of arrest without warrant for any person, other than a constable, to be exercised against any person who is in the commission of a non-bailable offence; or any person whom they have reasonable grounds to suspect of an indictable offence.

Indictable offenses are those that are more serious and are dealt with in the Crown Court.

The person making the arrest must also have reasonable grounds to believe it is necessary and inform the person of the crime they suspect they have committed as soon as possible before calling the police.

Chief Constable Amanda Blackman, lead of the National Police Chiefs’ Council on Crime, says she is “committed” to reducing theft and pursuing criminals.

She says the Retail Crime Action Plan sets out guidance, including “following all reasonable lines and prioritizing attendance at incidents where violence is involved or an offender is detained”.

She says people should “put their safety first” and call 999 if a crime is taking place.

Meanwhile, police are grappling with well-documented limitations – in May 2024, officers were instructed to consider making fewer arrests. Due to lack of space in prisons.

Mr Gant added: “I understand they are underfunded and under-resourced but we need more positive, collaborative support.”

Home Office figures show that less than 20 per cent of recorded shoplifting offenses resulted in a charge or summons by March 2024.

Lois Phelps and her partner, who own Gadgetverse, a tech sales and repair store in Exeter, say that after a year in which around £20,000 worth of stock was stolen, they decided to track down and stop a criminal themselves. resorted to

Mr Phelps says there have been four attempted burglaries and three successful burglaries this year, with goods worth £12,000 stolen in one incident in February.

He says the police arrived immediately and did forensic work.

But Mr Phelps says it was his own detective work, visiting the store in Exeter, that helped him find the stolen goods.

“It was still in the same city – in fact it was in multiple stores in the city – literally less than a mile away,” he says.

After finding some stock at another local shop, Mr Phelps worked with his manager to wait for the thief to return.

“We detained him and asked the police to come and arrest him,” he adds.

Justin Hyde, who runs Hide & Seek lifestyle store in Exeter, described shoplifting as “pretty horrific” – with six incidents so far in 2024.

She says she follows outsiders and challenges them but it is often fruitless.

“The last time we caught a woman, the police said it would cost a lot of money to chase her, even though we knew who she was,” she says.

“We’re really doing our own policing because the police are absent.”

The British Retail Consortium says retailers should not engage with criminals.

Tom Holder says the cost of shoplifting is £2bn “and rising”, adding: “With this huge cost comes the potential for violence and abuse, with retail staff potentially struggling to deter criminals. is doing.”

Oh A survey of retailers Published in February, it found a 50 percent increase in levels of retail violence and abuse.

Mr Holder adds: “Ultimately catching and arresting criminals is a job for the police.”

Devon and Cornwall Police says it is committed to working with retailers to protect their premises – ensuring that criminals face justice when crimes do occur.

It states that resources are deployed where they can be most effective based on risk, vulnerability and vulnerability.

It adds, “We should prioritize attendance where violence is involved or where a shoplifter has been detained.”

A Home Office spokesman says the government is taking “stronger action”, removing the £200 threshold for low-cost shoplifting and making assaulting a retail worker a specific offence.

“NPCC recommends that only trained security guards detain offenders and forces will prioritize attendance at these events.”

Andrew Sherman, Exeter Business Against Crime co-ordinator, says shoplifting can often be driven by drug operations and organized crime.

He adds: “We cannot block our way out of this… it is a deep problem within society that needs to be addressed.

“The police here are the best force I’ve ever worked with, they’re very proactive.”

Back in Truro, Mr Gaunt agrees that shoplifting is symptomatic of much wider problems: “I feel frustrated, I feel like giving up. It’s more than a £20 teddy, it’s a broken one. society.”