Local Shop Staff Threatened By Shoplifters

Staff of the Co-Operative were found under threat by a group of shoplifters on Monday at around 11:30am.

The Co-operative Food store on the Lichfield Roald in Shelfield has been prone to a number of shoplifting episodes, the most recent one however escalated further. With staff attempting to deter the shoplifters from exiting the shop, the group of young men grabbed a hot drink from a machine and tried throwing it at the staff.

The staff promptly called 999, where West Midlands Police spent over an hour in the staff room taking notes and statements from members of the public and staff during the time of the incident.

Danny, a staff member on shift during the incident, said, “They try to steal anything… but these lot actually opened the Costa coffee machine up and tried throwing hot drinks all over the staff to make their escape. At least with the police car in the car park it will stop them from robbing for an hour at least!”

According to plumplot.co.uk, Walsall’s national crime rate currently stands at 108%. “Annual crime rate in Walsall postcode area is 7.6 crimes per annum per 1000 workday people as of January 2024… Shoplifting crime makes up 6.8% of all crimes reported in the postcode area. The total number of “shoplifting crime” is 3.3k, and this number has increased by 30.7% when compared year-over-year in the period of January 2023 – December 2023”.

What should you do if you see if a shoplifter in action? West Midlands Metropolitan Police recommend that you ask them politely to put them item back but to be careful with your tone, keeping it neutral and back off if you feel threatened. Always be sure that they have taken something before you speak to them - and only if you feel it's safe to do so. Once you are sure that they are indeed a shoplifter, call 999.