‘We need justice in the fight to combat serial shoplifters’ – Spalding Today

The justice system is completely failing to combat serial shoplifters, according to a concerned former Spalding police sergeant.

Stuart Brotherton is now Business Watch Coordinator - working to help South Holland shops and pubs to combat crime - and says traders, shoppers and police are all being badly let down.

Mr Brotherton, who retired from the force eight years ago, says prison is not acting as a deterrent for crime - with some offenders in Spalding even deliberately trying to get themselves a stay behind bars.

He said: When an individual commits an intentional crime in full view of the police in order to get arrested to go to prison, what does that tell you about the justice system?

He added: People want justice and I just feel strongly at the moment that the justice system seems to be offender led and not victim led.

In prison they get fed three times a day, they have the luxury of their own cell with a TV and phone calls and they can earn pocket money. Tell me how its going to stop them doing it again. It becomes a game to them.

There are currently 26 people banned from Spalding town centre stores - 18 of those are life bans for offenders with a long history of offences.

Mr Brotherton says some well known offenders have been committing crimes for up to 20 years, with little evidence that the system will change their ways.

The current punishments for shoplifters range from community orders and fines through to six month prison sentences, if the value of goods taken is below 200.

Mr Brotherton wants to see a tougher use of community service - with offenders ordered to do work that benefits the area such as litter picking.

He says its time we ditched the view that shoplifting is a victimless crime and said the underlying issue in most cases is drugs - with shoplifting used to fund addicts habits.

While he thinks drug rehabilitation workers do a good job - he says some people refuse to take the help that is offered to them.

He said: People say shoplifting is a victimless crime - but its not.

Shop owners lose their stock and you and I as customers end up paying higher prices for the stock thats lost.

Theres pain and suffering. OK, a lot of the big nationals make substantial profits but the small stores dont.

I have always been in favour of community sentencing. You dont see as many people out there in the orange suits as you should.

Work has always been the best form of punishment. What isnt, is sitting in a cell all day.

The problem you have got now is that comes under probation and probation are short staffed and these people need supervisors. Theres so much that these people could do to put back into the community.

Mr Brotherton has repeatedly raised the matter with the Ministry of Justice and the independent Sentencing Council and wants Prime Minister Boris Johnson to order a review.

He added: I feel sorry for the police because they do their level best to bring people to justice, doing all of the footwork only to see it fall down in the courts. Police officers are livid about this.

Its a huge issue and one that leaves huge dent in the finances of the country. Mr Johnson, when he looks at his priorities, needs to look at the justice system again.

Mr Brotherton also contrasted the high fines for some motoring offences with the smaller punishments given out for shoplifting.

He said: Do they not call it the scales of justice? Well, I dont think the scales are balanced.

The Free Press contacted the Ministry of Justice for a comment. It said this was a matter for the Home Office.

A Sentencing Council spokesman said it has no plans to update shop theft guidelines, which were last updated in 2016. They added: Sentencing guidelines are developed, following public consultation, to ensure sentences are consistent, transparent and proportionate to the offence.

The sentence range for theft from a shop or stall starts from a discharge or low level community service to three years custody. Courts assess the culpability of the offender and the harm caused by the offence, including both the financial loss and any additional harm caused to the victim, such as emotional distress, effect on business or damage to property, to determine the starting point of the sentence.

When applying the sentence, judges and magistrates will also look at aggravating factors for example stealing goods to order, and mitigating factors for example determination of steps having been taken to address addiction or offending behaviour.

They added that courts can require people to take drug or alcohol treatment within a community order as an alternative to a prison sentence.

A Home Office spokesman said: We are giving police the resources they need, recruiting 20,000 additional officers over the next three years and providing the biggest funding increase in a decade.

This month we announced 18.4 million of funding to tackle neighbourhood crimes like burglary, theft and robbery, and Lincolnshire PCC received 250,780 from Round 1 of the Safer Streets Fund, and will receive a further 244,801 from Round 2.

The public want more police, safer streets, and tougher sentences for those guilty of the most serious crimes and that it what this government is delivering.

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'We need justice in the fight to combat serial shoplifters' - Spalding Today