Shoplifting: Shop owners take security measures as thefts rise

The largest increase in shoplifting was in south Wales, which nearly doubled with a 45% increase in the past year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS added that figures were now at a 20-year high across England and Wales.

Jayne Keeley has run a baby clothes shop, Rainbow, in the Uplands area of Swansea for 37 years.

She said she has a defensive approach when it came to shoplifting, by having shutters and a buzzer entry door.

“Some customers said at first ‘it’s like going to a jewellers in London’, but it’s what I’ve got to do. It’s my choice to keep me and my staff safe,” she said.

Jayne and other shop owners across Uplands have a WhatsApp group to notify each other of any suspicious behaviour.

“There’s not a lot of people [staff] in these little shops, it’s safety in numbers. We all look out for each other,” she said.

Fflur Elin from the Federation of Small Businesses said these extra security measures cost money.

“Businesses have experienced a long period of difficult economic headways from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis,” she said.

“We’re hearing a lot of emphasis on growth but what we have to emphasise is that the impact of crime is financial. It also stops businesses from developing and being innovative.”