Southampton shop staff threatened with knives and spat on

These are the damning words of one Southampton retailer who has spoken out along with other shopkeepers about being regularly threatened with knives, spat on and verbally abused by shoplifters.

This comes as police confirm they are launching an anti-shoplifting squad to tackle retail crime.

Richard Inglis, director of three franchised Co-Op Welcome Stores in the city, said that he could not afford to employ security staff despite a 'massive increase' in violence towards his team in recent years.

He said: “We have seen staff spat on, punched, kicked, pushed, knives pulled – it has become a huge problem and the sky is the limit in terms of violence and abuse.

“Most incidents will have staff receiving verbal abuse at a bare minimum and at least 50 per cent of incidents will involve threats of violence."

Richard Inglis, director of three Co-Op Welcome Stores in Southampton (Image: Ross Marshall)He recalled one terrifying incident which saw a member of his team facing a shoplifter brandishing a knife.

He said: "At our store on Harbour Parade, a well-known offender that is still active in Southampton decided to break into our storeroom.

"When she was approached by a member of staff, she pulled out a knife.

“The staff member managed to disarm the shoplifter and detain her until the police arrived.

“I would not advise any shop worker to take matters into their own hands. Luckily no one was hurt - but I’m afraid it is a sign of the times."

The Co-Op stores around the city are not the only stores to be targeted by shoplifters.

Holland & Barrett supervisor Bailey Browne said their store has five thefts a day (Image: Ross Marshall)Bailey Browne, 26, a supervisor at Holland & Barrett on the High Street, said that their shop falls victim to around four or five incidents of shoplifting every day.

High value items are targeted such as fitness products and protein powder.

He said: “It really sucks to have abuse and threats thrown your way on a regular basis.

“We are constantly squared up to by some of the shoplifters and this can be really difficult, particularly for our younger members of staff."

Supervisor Adam Heard said that he had threats made against him by shoplifters (Image: Ross Marshall)Bailey’s colleague Adam Heard, 27, said that he had recently been threatened after asking two shoplifters to leave the building after they were seen putting something into their bag.

He said: “They threated to pull out knifes and said that they would wait for us after work.

“It made me feel very uncomfortable. It also means staff are distracted and concerned rather than dealing with the customers that need it."

"We can't afford to hire security staff"

Richard from the Co-Op said that to deter criminals they have installed lots of CCTV cameras, put high value items in less accessible places, and reduced the amount of stock held for certain items.

He said: “It’s really frustrating for us as at our stores we are struggling with consistently violent repeat offenders and there does seem to be a struggle to take those people off the streets.

“We are very proactive in terms of sharing information on prolific shop lifters so that our staff know who to be aware of and we are actively giving people the boot before they get their hands on items."

But due to small profit margins - which have taken a hit due to shoplifted stock - Richard said he cannot afford to employ security staff.

He said: “Unfortunately for us it is not something that is financially viable for the business.

“I wish we could have security, but the fact of the matter is that we shouldn’t have to. Our staff should not have to fear for their own safety.

“In my opinion the police need more support from the justice system. The police present offenders to the court, but they are not getting appropriately sentenced and they are back shoplifting in our store the next week.”

Bailey from Holland & Barrett said his company was in a similar situation: “It would be great to have a full-time security guard, but I do understand that costs will come with that.

“Our managers have been very clear that we should never put ourselves at risk and to leave a situation if we feel uncomfortable.”

What is being done to help retailers?

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy said that a city centre unit will be coming to Southampton in November.

This team of seven officers, a sergeant and a group of PCSOs will be focused on shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Hampshire police have also worked with GO! Southampton - an organisation that supports city centre businesses - to create an easy line of communication between local shops and the force.

Hampshire Police Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy said that only about nine per cent of all retrial crimes are reported (Image: Ross Marshall)Ch Insp Kennedy said: “We now have a sharing app with local retail partners to share incidents, names and pictures of prolific offenders with us directly.

“Prior to this they would have had to go online or report the incident to 101, but we now have an effective system in place to help support local retailers and deter those repeat offenders.

“Only about nine per cent of all retail crimes are reported to us. We hope this direct line of contact will help to raise this number.”

The shopkeepers and Ch Insp Kennedy were speaking during a 'day of action' against shoplifting, which saw them work with GO! Southampton, to target the top shoplifters and raise awareness about what is being done.

Jade McCauley, operations manager at GO! Southampton, urged retailers to report every incident, 'no matter how small'.

She said they had funded two security staff who patrol the city centre, find shoplifters and recover stolen items.

But Adam from Holland & Barrett welcomed news of the police's city centre unit.

He said: “We feel a lot more supported having the GO! Southampton team with us but a stronger police presence on the high street is definitely needed.”