'What would happen if I tried to stop them and one of them pulled a knife? I'm just here trying to make a living'
Last week the owner of a newsagents in Rochdale town centre, was assaulted as he tried to stop two shoplifters stealing vapes from behind the counter.
It was just the latest in a number of thefts Mr Hussain has experienced in recent months. "I'd say it's [shoplifting] doubled or trebled since covid," he says. Co-op said it had recorded its highest-ever levels of shoplifting and antisocial behaviour in the six months to June, with almost 1,000 incidents each day. According to the British Retail Consortium shop thefts have more than doubled in the past three years, reaching 8m in 2022 and costing retailers £953m.
"People are skint," said Joe. "So if someone comes up to you and asks if you want to buy some cheap stuff you're more likely to say yes or you're going to put in an order. You know full well it's just been stolen, but that's the way it's always been.Georgina Butterworth works in her family's long-standing menswear shop Butterworths, also on Yorkshire Street.
"But it's the same five people. The security guards all know where they live. It's very rare that it's someone completely random."
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