Silent Crime: Shopkeeper reveals harsh reality of shoplifting in the West Midlands

A shopkeeper has said more needs to be done to stem shoplifting as shop theft crime figures hit their highest level for two decades

"Even stealing just a small thing means we have to sell double for the day to make up the loss," those are the words of Surinder Josan, owner of All Seasons DIY on Smethwick High Street.

Surinder is one of many shop owners calling for more action locally and nationally to reduce the amount of petty crime targeting retailers.

He tells his story as BirminghamWorld launches a campaign against the epidemic of Silent Crime:

Surinder's call for action comes as figures have revealed a sharp 30 per cent increase in shoplifting cases in the West Midlands between April and June, with the area reporting a total of 7,443 offences.

Describing an incident recently, Surinder, 60, from Smethwick, chair of the legal and parliamentary committee for the British Independent Retailer Association (BIRA), said: "I looked out the window and there was this person walking off with some fruit trees that were being sold from a grocery shop on the high street.

"They had obviously stolen them, we ended up finding the man and said 'look, stay away, we don't want you here' we haven't seem him since, but it is something that we shouldn't have to deal with ourselves."

The shop owner said that the impact of theft from family-owned shops is 'worse than it looks', saying that "it affects us worse than anyone realises."

Surinder continued: "As a small independent retailer, if one thing is stolen, it comes straight out of our profits, we have to sell two of those items to even it out.

"It's deeper than that too. I know the chemist down the road who had an incident and they now have to take a lot of their high-price stock off of the front, we have had to take the items like Marshalltown trowels from the front. Part of seeing the product is half of the sale.

"For bigger companies, they can afford the loss. But for local, family-owner groups like most of us on the high street, It really hits the pockets."

In another incident, Surinder even pursued two thieves who had robbed the cash register of another store.

Surinder said: "There was a lot of screaming and shouting and I went to have a look and they were just walking off like nothing had happened.

"Luckily, down the road, there were two police officers, I told them 'I could take you right to them, they still have the goods on them', the officers jumped in my car and when they spotted them they arrested them."

The shop owners said the rising crime figures are not only a local issue but also 'something that needs to be sorted nationally'.

The shop owner said: "I think some of this is drugs, but it also got worse after the credit crisis and the pandemic. I think the ultimate solution is to create a better economy.

"Make an economy so everyone can grow together, they don't need to struggle to pay heating or electric bills, they have that surplus. If people had that surplus to buy stuff, then they wouldn't need to steal it in the first place."

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