I read recently that shop thefts have more than doubled in the last few years since the Covid pandemic began, and the cost to British retailers is eye-watering at around £953 million.

I was in my local Co-op only the other day picking up the Sunday newspapers, and witnessed a bloke saunter in, head straight to the booze section, and walk straight out with a box of Carling lager. No guilty furtive glances around, and clearly no real fear of any consequences. I asked the staff if it happens a lot, and they confirmed that sadly it does.

Last time I checked, cans of underwhelming mass produced lager were not on a list of life's essentials, so we can't make the argument here that the thief was doing this to survive. It's disgusting that so much of it goes on, and there seem to be so few consequences.

Figures from the Guardian show that Co--op recorded its highest ever levels of retail crime, antisocial behaviour and shoplifting in the six months to June, with almost a thousand incidents a day. Yes, you read that correctly A thousand daily! Bosses are looking at the viability of some branches as a result, and some reports have claimed the police don't respond to over 70% of incidents involving retail crime.

Writing in the Telegraph recently, the John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White said shoplifting in the UK is at "epidemic" levels, and she also said that some UK high streets have become "shells of their former selves". Powerful words, and retail staff certainly don't deserve to go to work fearing for their own safety if they do stand up to these appalling, lawless individuals who think it's fine to help themselves.

The Daily Star pointed out that some shops now have security tags on loo rolls, proving in their eyes that the country has gone down the pan. I've seen tags on cheese, steaks, and many more items lately. You wonder how many incidents go unreported, so the problem is probably even worse than feared.

Home Bargains has recently set up a confidential hotline, with customers being offered a £500 reward for helping them catch shoplifters and successfully prosecuting them. Fancy having a guess how many shoplifting incidents were reported last year in England and Wales? Go on, think of a number. I bet you won't get close.

The actual total is 275,076. That's right, over a quarter of a MILLION. I find that incredible. In my opinion, it's wrong to blame the cost of living crisis. We are all having to make difficult choices about what to buy, and I've had to put things back before when my shopping total has been more than I've had left in my bank account. It's something a lot of us have been through, but I have never ever thought of just helping myself. Prices going up is obviously linked to soaring inflation in recent times, but retailers also have to recoup losses from pinched items somehow.

The UK's policing minister, Chris Philp, has said that police forces must investigate every shoplifting offence where there is CCTV evidence, but do they have the resources to that this? Body worn cameras have been offered to Tesco staff, and John Lewis has even tempted officers to their stores with the lure of a free coffee. Just the presence of a police van outside might make some think twice.

If the goods half inched are worth under £200, the consequences are far less serious, which many have argued is tantamount to decrimininalising low level offences. Something certainly has to change, and it's all well and good the Government making the right noises about being tough. Without a proper plan and budget to back it up, they are just another example of hot air from politicians, which feeds into our general sense of distrust in many of them.

If we're bringing in a new Retail Offences Act, I'd also like to add people who read the newspapers without buying them (there are libraries for that, and I don't want to buy a dog-eared paper, thanks), and folk who block up their aisle with their trollies. Oh, and people who don't put the divider thing down on the conveyor belt when they've finished putting their shopping on it. And anyone who is rude to retail staff, or speaks on their mobile whilst being served. They kept us all going through Covid, and deserve a bit of courtesy and respect.