Shoplifting measures welcomed by traders

Shopkeepers in the West Midlands have welcomed the announcement of new measures to cut shoplifting.

The region is one of 16 police force areas chosen as part of a government pilot to target prolific retail offenders, which could see persistent thieves tagged and banned from high streets.

Mani Gill, vice-chair of the Soho Road Business Improvement District (BID), Birmingham, said shoplifting was a daily occurrence, with small businesses least able to absorb the costs.

Alex Goss, lead for retail crime at the National Police Chief's Council , said he welcomed the pilot to tackle prolific retail crime offenders "who continue to cause harm to businesses, retail workers and local communities".

The new measures announced by the Home Secretary on Wednesday will focus on about 500 of the country's most prolific offenders, who the government said were "responsible for a disproportionate amount of shop theft".

It said they could face restrictions on their movements including the use of GPS tags, along with being banned from the high street.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "A small number of offenders commit a disproportionate amount of shop theft.

"They wreak havoc on our high streets, leave businesses out of pocket and make retail workers scared to go to work."

The 12-month, £2.5m pilot will also look at the "drivers of offending" including drug and alcohol addiction.

Goss said the pilot would give police forces and their partners "additional support to tackle some of the most prolific retail crime offenders".

A recent BBC investigation found that 28,415 recorded offences had been linked to just 270 suspects between 2020-21 and 2025-26.

Amjad Farook, who runs the Wah Wah Mirchi grocery store said his staff had been attacked and help was "well overdue".

Farook said he was losing thousands of pounds and thieves were targetting his store on a weekly basis.

The majority of items taken were high-value, he said, but they could range down to packets of butter or spices.

He said he suggests his staff do not physically confront thieves, but just make sure they know they are being watched.

But he said sometimes thieves become violent.

He said: "One member of our staff got attacked the other week and he was bleeding, it wasn't a nice thing. It is a worrying thought for my staff."

Gill said Soho Road was suffering just the same as anywhere else and the problem of shoplifting was increasing.

He said most of the businesses the BID represents are small businesses and for them it was "harder to digest because their pockets aren't as large".

He said getting to the root of the problem was important and any government support should make sure it was not just moving the problem somewhere else.

"I think with the cost of living and people struggling to make ends meet... I do think that people are getting more desperate," he said.

Simon Roberts, Sainsbury's chief executive, said retail crime was a "national emergency which requires a national response and targeted action from government and police against the prolific offenders".

He said more arrests and prosecutions were needed.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said retailers welcomed the pilot and approved of "robust enforcement with targeted support to tackle the root causes".

Farook has had the shop for 20 years and said in the past police had been quick to come around, but that was no longer the case.

He said: "Now unfortunately with the high number the police tell us to report it, register it, get a crime number on it and that's it. That's the sad part."

He also said larger stores were able to pay for security and absorb some of the costs of stolen items, but smaller stores like his were not.

"We need help," he said.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.