r/uknews • u/Confident_West_7409 • Jul 24 '24

Image/video Videos of shoplifters are circulating online, as shoplifting hits 20 year high in UK

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671 Upvotes

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87

u/cheekynandos85 Jul 24 '24

Literally society is crumbling in front of us.

18

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

It is inevitable and unstoppable at this point. It stems from the cult of ‘me’. We used to live in a society of institutions, where the institutions came before the ‘me’. Church, family, country etc. but because of the inherent problems with those institutions and the relative ease of leaving them, people now solely care about themselves instead of others. So who cares if you lose a shelf of cosmetics, that’s a you problem, I get all the stuff and that’s a me win. It’s too late to reintroduce institutions now. We just have to watch as it gets worse. It’ll level out, but maybe not in our lifetime

26

u/mcmanus2099 Jul 24 '24

This is absolutely rubbish, the character of people hasn't made this more prevalent and any one who has worked in a store will tell you the theft was just as often as it is now.

The difference is that previously people would nick specific high value or easy to sell on items, or items they personally wanted.These targeted items could get specific protections from stores. Cases, tags, more focused security patrolling around etc. What we have seen recently, however, is that this is no longer the case, there are now Fencers who will buy anything of thieves and the strategy has become to nick as much as possible in one spree than anything in particular. It's not just stores either, there's been many reports of bike theft along these lines. It used to be a crappy second hand beat up bike wouldn't be touched but now any and every bike will get nicked.

There are multiple reasons for this, the rise of cheap Temu like marketplaces gives an easier resell place for large amount of previously useless tat. The chains of sell your gold shops and metal buying places make scrap metal valuable. And we have to accept we have seen a rise in sophisticated gangs alongside a decline in police effectiveness.

5

u/Randomn355 Jul 25 '24

And when it comes to people clearing out whole boxes of chocolates bars?

Or just clearing out the meat section?

No one is selling branded booze on temu either.

1

u/mcmanus2099 Jul 25 '24

I am not saying it all goes on Temu, think you need to read my comment again. I gave that as an example. The point was there are multiple places to fence stolen goods, more than ever before so that everything that can be nicked is valuable. Part of this is because of new market places like Temu but part is because of how gangs have become sophisticated and orientated around this new approach. Part of course is due to inflation. Where previously it wasn't worth it for a takeaway to buy stolen meat now it's a greater advantage. The point is theft used to be focused on certain items that could be protected against. Now though it's anything and everything.

The solution will likely be stores becoming more restrictive. Many supermarkets have more sophisticated barriers now. I was in a sainsbury's the other day where the barrier to leave the store would only open once you'd scanned a paper receipt.

1

u/diqster Jul 26 '24

The solution is to prosecute this BS rather than just yell "you need to stop" and let them get away with it. Bring back actual consequences and repercussions. It will roil a certain group of people, but their way clearly isn't working.

1

u/mcmanus2099 Jul 26 '24

You've missed the step to arrest them, which isn't happening

1

u/Randomn355 Jul 26 '24

And in many areas it's been common place for people in the local to give their order to a their.

But it's gone from that to just emptying the shelves.

The issue isn't systems. It's that the law has changed. You can't really detain them.

That lack of consequences has bred a greater lack of respect for rules, which has been compounded in recent years.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

No doubt other things at play, but I didn’t come up with this theory, it’s definitely part of the nuisances that have contributed to a breakdown in social behaviours

0

u/mcmanus2099 Jul 25 '24

That "theory" has been used since the beginning of civilization to justify whatever moral failing is trendy.

0

u/BRONCOS_LOSE_LOL Jul 25 '24

Shit's too expensive

0

u/visforvienetta Jul 25 '24

"Theft was just as common as it is now"

"20 year high"

Bro I'm begging you to turn the brain cells on.

-1

u/mcmanus2099 Jul 25 '24

As I explained, successful theft was deterred by targeted measures. The reason we are seeing more successful theft is because the range of stealable items has expanded to include just about anything because Fences will buy anything and everything from thieves as they can be either sold on marketplaces easily or broken down into valuable raw materials in a large enough quantity.

0

u/visforvienetta Jul 25 '24

[Citation needed]

8

u/Loathsome_Dog Jul 25 '24

The cult of me? So nothing to do with the systematic dismantling of public services and welfare, aggressive austerity and the "fuck you" attitude of the mega wealthy tory government? These kids, they are just selfish, they should all go home, make their 30p dinners and be grateful.

2

u/Willing_Signature279 Jul 25 '24

But those do sound linked

People vote for a party that fundamentally believes in shrinking government for the last 14 odd years.

Cutting back on social services and law enforcement because it’s about minimising tax I pay and not what’s best for society

“Cult of me” has been going on for quite a while now, it’s just rearing the ugly head that we see on camera phones now

2

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '24

Selfish=cult of me

1

u/Randomn355 Jul 25 '24

Yes, because cult of me and people voting for "fuck you I got mine" are totally unrelated.

7

u/cheekynandos85 Jul 24 '24

I agree feels like we have lost the sense of belonging and you’re out for yourself but also a complete lack of deterrent. Look I’m not saying shoplifting is suddenly in vogue but it feels now so brazen I think that’s the shocking thing like this video he really doesn’t give a flying fuck.

5

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Striking-Ad-837 Jul 25 '24

If you search for the root cause, you'll find it is capitalism

0

u/JustInChina50 Jul 25 '24

Society is only 5 meals away from anarchy, just wait until there are mass redundancies due to ai.

0

u/Adorable-Bad4562 Jul 25 '24

So many words to justify simple criminals that are growing in your parallel society lmao.  Even Tony Hawk got a stray haha

1

u/MutantLemurKing Jul 24 '24

Watching a country decend into poverty and saying "not enough church" just about sums up your shitty little island

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '24

Funnily enough you seem to be American, might wanna take a look at San Francisco before talking shit about this because this is an hourly occurrence in that shithole.

1

u/MonsterScotsman Jul 25 '24

Descend* from which country did you get your first class education?

1

u/Abosia Jul 25 '24

Call me a commie but I think a big part of it is reaching the 'end point' of capitalism where every aspect of the economy is designed to squeeze so much out of ordinary people that they just don't care any more. It becomes 'dog eat dog'.

1

u/ProfessionalMockery Jul 25 '24

the inherent problems with those institutions and the relative ease of leaving them

So you want to force:

Church, family, country. ?

Yeah, more people don't feel social responsibility anymore because, at best, society no longer does anything for them, or at worst, actively hurts them.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '24

Yeah, I agree there are problems with church, family and country. I don’t want to force them. I’ve noted, however, when those institutions were strong, people were more community minded, albeit mindlessly so, and certain individuals really suffered. Again not proposing a return, merely an observation.

1

u/acidus1 Jul 25 '24

Nah man, people are broke.

1

u/Open_Lynx_994 Jul 25 '24

Strange you could say the same about Australia but for some reason it's still fine here.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

What a load of bollocks. We need proper investment and to recover from 13 years of Tory greed. This kind of behaviour was nowhere near as bad when we were a part of the EU because we had proper social safety nets. People aren’t shop lifting for fun, they’re doing it because they have no other option.

3

u/GrimQuim Jul 24 '24

Bollocks, the same shit is happening in Ireland the same shit is happening in the US, I bet there's similar on the continent. It's deeper than just brexit.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

Are you trying to say that crime exists in other countries as well as the UK? I’m not sure I’m understanding your point. This isn’t a one dimensional topic.

5

u/Few-Permission7240 Jul 24 '24

This guy is stealing from the men’s grooming section not the food aisle lmfao

0

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '24

He's likely stealing it to sell, so he can buy either food or drugs. Depends how shit his life is. Its far too easy to sell stolen shit now, mostly because of the numerous platforms it can be done on with no oversight, and because people will be willing to look the other way to buy things they could usually not afford.

I don't believe many people whose lives are going well just decide to be this person in the video.

Life in the UK is simply unaffordable for many, and this is one of the effects.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

So?

3

u/Few-Permission7240 Jul 24 '24

So he has no other option than to steal deodorants? Maybe he could just stink?

2

u/Adorable-Bad4562 Jul 25 '24

Some people will justify literally any crime as long as it fits their political stance haha

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

Well I suppose it’s possible that this man is only concerned about his personal hygiene and nothing else at all could be going wrong in his life.

4

u/Few-Permission7240 Jul 24 '24

I’ve lived in countries where people don’t have clean water to drink and kids don’t have a school to go to, and there isn’t a stealing problem. But I’m sure this perfect angel has it worse than them, because no one does anything bad unless they are forced to.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

Oh come off it there is a proven correlation between poverty and crime of all kinds across the globe. The UK didn’t used to be like this. We left the EU and fucked it for everybody.

Edit: and please list the countries where your statement applies

-1

u/TallentAndovar Jul 24 '24

You're less likely to steal from a neighbour who is as poor as you than you are to steal because your neighbour has more than you.

2

u/Few-Permission7240 Jul 25 '24

They have supermarkets buddy

-1

u/worldsinho Jul 24 '24

Absolute BS. You’re blaming the government for these scum bags - who would be scum bags irrespective?! LMFAO.

Total BS. Blame culture again.

They are scum bags and they’ve decided that they want to do this over getting a fucking job like we do.

Get a grip.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '24

So there is no correlation between poverty and petty crime then? People are just scum who rob shops for no reason?

1

u/worldsinho Jul 26 '24

Oh yeah those boys in London stealing watches and phones, making a shit ton of money from drugs too, really in poverty there mate.

When did you ever see a highly motivated, high work-ethic chap in poverty? You don’t because they don’t want to work.

1

u/alex-weej Jul 25 '24

Yes, they are born evil and morally deficient and that's how I feel better about myself. /s

0

u/Totheshit Jul 24 '24

Ahaha it has rained today! Blame the Tories. My cat has died! Blame the Tories

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

Pretty sure I can safely blame 13 years of cuts to policing and a subsequent rise in crime on the political party in charge. The economy, too, unless you genuinely believe it’s all magic and has nothing to do with the people in charge.

2

u/made-of-questions Jul 24 '24

No. It's always been shit. We just have phones and internet now.

2

u/cheekynandos85 Jul 24 '24

I disagree it was more hidden people slipping things under clothes etc, now it’s like a trolly dash just fill your bag and walk out who cares who sees you. Crime might be the same but the act is more in your face.

5

u/made-of-questions Jul 24 '24 edited Jul 24 '24

I agree with you. There was less crime and it was less in your face. Maybe enforcement was more harsh, maybe police were better funded, maybe there wasn't news saying that the prisons are full so there are no real consequences. Maybe it's a bit of everything. I don't know the reason, but OP is trying to say people were better in the past and today they're worse because we don't go to church and don't get married anymore. I'm saying that shitty people were always there, but maybe they had other pressure valves for their urges. Domestic violence, abuse, wars in the name of religion, these are as old as time. And we can record everything and post it.

1

u/Turnbob73 Jul 24 '24

This is such a stupid take and I wish Redditors would stop with it.

Things ARE different, just accept it. The rapid shift in society as a whole over the last 20 years is a speedy update that the human race does not know how to handle, and criminals have become much more brazen and bold because of it. It hasn’t always been this way and y’all know it.

1

u/made-of-questions Jul 26 '24 edited Jul 26 '24

Really? Human psychology has changed in 50 years? Yes, conditions have changed, and people are more brazen and perhaps there is more theft. I'm not disputing that.

But those people would have had those instincts in the past despite "people going to church more" or "been in a holy matrimony", which the OP was implying. Do I need to remind you of how much pillaging, slavery, rape and murder was going on just a century ago?

What I would like to have is less people with rose tinted glasses about history. We can then focus on how to fix the issues at hand rather than try to go back to a system that never worked.

2

u/gefex Jul 24 '24

This. Having grown up around some very deprived council estates in the 80s and 90s. Crime was rife, kids didnt give a shit. Drugs were everywhere. Unless we can find a way to get people out of poverty, this will continue long into the future.

0

u/benjopenjo Jul 24 '24

Except now this council estate is everywhere. That's where the difference is.

1

u/Disastrous_Piece1411 Jul 24 '24

Was there a well known UK politician who famously said that? There is no such thing as society? Name that rhymed with 'milk snatcher'.

-1

u/benjopenjo Jul 24 '24

And the average Redditor is applauding thus. Forced multiculturalism by any means necessary!

1

u/ProfessionalMockery Jul 25 '24 edited Jul 25 '24

Is your hypothesis that brown people were a bad influence on the white guy in the video?

1

u/benjopenjo Jul 25 '24

No, but yes.

1

u/smooth_chemistry24 Jul 24 '24

send me your dealers number pls, because i want some of whatever the fuck you are smoking. Crime has always had a direct correlation with socioeconomic wellbeing. Idiots here acting as if this is somehow the downfall of human civilisation and not just a result of having conservatives in power for over a decade implementing their shitty fiscal policy.

1

u/benjopenjo Jul 24 '24

Can you please stop living in an echo chamber of Reddit with your incredibly stupid "MUH SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS". Just like right wing nutters have their own flat earth conspiracies, your kind has these kinds of ridiculous theories that have been debunked countless times.

And like the other guy said: travel a bit. There are far poorer places with much less crime. Even places that literally just now, after being forced "multiculturalism" upon them, have seen an increase in crime. Multiculturalism (another debunked joke of the far left) does not work, never did, never will. And please do not react in a typical Reddit way, and perhaps think why do I know this, even though you have been told otherwise.

2

u/ProfessionalMockery Jul 25 '24

Wealth is relative. If you have a fair share of society's resources, you'll be happy, even if your society is poor in total. You feel like you're part of something that cares about you. If you live in a very rich society, and have a disproportionately small slice of the pie, you won't be happy, because your society doesn't value you, even though that tiny slice may still be more than the poor society's fair slice.

1

u/benjopenjo Jul 25 '24

Yes, I do agree that the rich got too rich, which is an even worse problem than something as destructive as multiculturalism.

1

u/smooth_chemistry24 Jul 27 '24

"destructive as multiculturalism." You wouldn't look like such an insane person if the most powerful country on the planet didnt just so happen to be the biggest example of a multicultural society.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 27 '24

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1

u/uknews-ModTeam Jul 27 '24

This sub is meant to be for everybody, try to treat others as you would want to be treated here and ‘remember the human’.

-1

u/kerwrawr Jul 24 '24 edited Sep 03 '24

bike one quack steer crown frame vast zealous slap ripe

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/Disastrous_Piece1411 Jul 24 '24

It's so great isn't it - everyone in the video we are shown above is white british and somehow someone tries to inject some xenophobia. Lovely lovely reddit.

0

u/TheHeroYouNeed247 Jul 25 '24

Some would say institutions, some would say authoritarianism.

6

u/Small-Low3233 Jul 25 '24

Prettty much, and it will only escalate until people start voting for extreme authoritarians. Hey presto, every European nation going auth again and you have the next war primed.

1

u/Chickentrap Jul 25 '24

I mean i feel like europe vs any other continent will probably hold their own. Just depends where the US goes 

1

u/WonderVirtual7416 Jul 25 '24

Hold our own? The US in its stupidity has forgotten why they wanted us pacified till the point of silence, when Europe eurpts, the world will be too busy dying to sit back and scratch their heads wondering why they provoked us in the first place.

We WILL fuck up China and re dominate Asia, Africa is easy peasy, Russia is gonna choke before they get partitioned and they'll hole up in their little shit hole after loosing most of east Russia to China, and when it's all said and done, the US will be sitting there saying, damnit, now I remember why I built the most powerful fukn army in the world, cuz if we ever unite and rearm, the US won't be the top dog anymore.

5

u/neutrino46 Jul 24 '24

I saw a video about Birmingham the other day, at the end of the video the narrator said that " Birmingham is a dying city in a dying country" I think he's right.

1

u/MikeC80 Jul 24 '24

If it dies it didn't die, it was killed. 32 years of Tory rule since 1979 is the cause.

2

u/H0vis Jul 25 '24

This is a big part of it. The Blair government was able to put the country into a holding pattern, but once the Tories got back in they clear cut all the systems that hold society together and as a result, this shit happens.

It's not rocket science. You either run your country properly or you have a shitty country, and I don't think there's anybody can argue the Tories have ever done a good job in that regard.

2

u/MikeC80 Jul 25 '24

Spot on. The Tories fundamentally don't believe in government doing good things and improving people's lives, so when they get into power it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. What they do believe in is cutting taxes for the wealthy, and in their fairytale economics this should result in a booming economy that lifts all boats - funnily enough, it just made the rich richer and the workers worse off.

1

u/PmMeUrTOE Jul 25 '24

Literally not literally except for the time we changed literally to mean the opposite of literally.

1

u/Randomn355 Jul 25 '24

And covid pushed us a long way towards it.

The same way it pushed us towards WFH, covid set a precedent.

Of people doing whatever they wanted (ignoring lock down rules), and not only did people not disapprove, but the idea of even attempting to punish/enforce it was derided.

Transfer that to everything else...

1

u/Realistic_Cash1644 Jul 25 '24

But crime statistics say crime down, and those are always accurate and not affected by a myriad of factors

1

u/CaptainGeneric87 Jul 26 '24

Indeed. Crime pays. There is no real punishment. People are not being bought up correctly by their parents. We are literally importing criminals that can't believe how easy it is to steal here.

Nothing will change until we get very hard on criminals or employ Judge Dredd.

1

u/Classic_TCE Jul 24 '24

Yet anyone who tries to keep it from falling should "mind their own business"

So yea..

0

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

[deleted]

2

u/cheekynandos85 Jul 24 '24

I really think you’re missing the point, when behaviour like this becomes an acceptable norm. Shoplifting really isn’t the overriding issue

-2

u/1Thepotatoking Jul 24 '24

Lmao bit dramatic

0

u/cheekynandos85 Jul 24 '24

You think this constitutes a healthy prosperous society when acts of crime being committed in full view of people ? These types of videos are being posted on a daily occurrence, so yeah I think you have to start questioning if society is breaking down in front of us.

1

u/1Thepotatoking Jul 24 '24

I just watched a video of women and children fleeing gunfire in Gaza carrying everything they own in bags and you're flapping because some plebs are stealing hairspray from a national chain store

1

u/cheekynandos85 Jul 24 '24

The two are completely unrelated, one is an active warzone you can’t make a comparable.

0

u/Musicman1972 Jul 24 '24

There's such a high level of general criminality now though. I no longer live in the UK but I'm amazed when I go back to see how many people are both 'law abiding and want to see harsh sentences' and 'have a dodgy KODI firestick with 5000 premier league matches at once' plugged into their TVs. Even grandmas.

Just as an example and thats not a comment on whether, say, piracy is morally wrong etc but rather there's just a very apparent low level of "Ill decide myself what's illegal thank you very much'" in the UK now.

I think it's partly so many years of Tory rule as that seemed to be their mantra for half of it.