Shoplifting in cost of living crisis 'never an excuse'

A police chief has said there can never be an excuse for shoplifting, even when families are struggling to feed children during the cost of living crisis.

Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, from Merseyside Police, who is also the National Police Chiefs' Council's lead on retail crime, was responding to listeners' questions on BBC Radio Merseyside's Hotseat phone-in on what can be done to stop the thefts.

One listener said some shoplifters were "just mums trying to feed their children".

But Goss said that while he had sympathy "fully appreciated" the position that some families were in, there were "other avenues you can look at for support".

"There's never going to be an excuse to steal something from a shop that doesn't belong to you," he said.

Goss said that retail crime offenders fall into three different areas.

"Generally, it's either an opportunist, secondly, it'll be somebody seeking to support a habit, or it's organised retail crime," he said.

"And now we are starting to see the cost of living crisis, potentially pushing into that area as well."

Goss was speaking as Merseyside Police reported that the number of shoplifting incidents recorded had almost doubled since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, from 5,415 in 2020-21 to 10,419 in 2025-26.

Data gathered by the BBC showed that in the last financial year, the force recorded a 10.9% annual increase in shoplifting cases - more than 1,000 additional incidents.

The Liverpool Business Improvement District, a non-for-profit organisation that liaises with the police on behalf of businesses, warned the true extent of shoplifting was even worse.

It estimated that only about 10% of shoplifting cases were even being reported.

He also dismissed claims that police would not attend shoplifting incidents unless the goods stolen were above a certain value.

"That was never the case, ever," he said.

"We respond to incidents and retail crime based on the threat, the harm and the risk that's occurring at that particular moment in time."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.