Co op lordship lane

[christine56]

just left co op black lady in late 30s stole beers out the fridge.the people in the store just let her go why ,have you got security man on the door who did nothing .she calmly walked to the bus stop to catch the bus.if you (the thief)are reading this.your a very scummy person.look at the state of this country 

[beansprout]

So why did you not do or say anything and made a point of saying black - since you did nothing  why underline your whole message..

[Sue]

16 hours ago, christine56 said:

just left co op black lady in late 30s stole beers out the fridge.the people in the store just let her go why ,have you got security man on the door who did nothing .she calmly walked to the bus stop to catch the bus.if you (the thief)are reading this.your a very scummy person.look at the state of this country 

That description could apply to many people.

Why have you said what her skin colour was but not what she was wearing?

What do you think will be achieved by posting this on here? If you think the security man should have stopped her, would it not be more constructive to complain to the Co-op?

And what has one shoplifter got to do with "the state of this country"? There have always been thieves.

[Moovart]

Why jump on the OP more than the shoplifter?  It is pretty crap to just walk in to a shop and blatantly steal stuff and it does seem to be happening more often which is depressing.  I've witnessed it several times in the last couple of years sometimes with groups of shoplifters who rush in and quickly steal a whole load of stuff.  It does seem to me to be becoming more common.  It's particularly galling when it's stealing non essential stuff like beer unless the person is an alcoholic and not being done because of poverty and hunger. All it does is put the prices up for those that pay and encourage others to just take stuff too.  I guess the OP just wanted to share their anger.  Not sure what a lone security guard can do which is also depressing because if there's no consequence for thieves then such behaviour will inevitably increase. ☹️

[Sue]

32 minutes ago, Moovart said:

Why jump on the OP more than the shoplifter?  It is pretty crap to just walk in to a shop and blatantly steal stuff and it does seem to be happening more often which is depressing.  I've witnessed it several times in the last couple of years sometimes with groups of shoplifters who rush in and quickly steal a whole load of stuff.  It does seem to me to be becoming more common.  It's particularly galling when it's stealing non essential stuff like beer unless the person is an alcoholic and not being done because of poverty and hunger. All it does is put the prices up for those that pay and encourage others to just take stuff too.  I guess the OP just wanted to share their anger.  Not sure what a lone security guard can do which is also depressing because if there's no consequence for thieves then such behaviour will inevitably increase. ☹️

The original post was about one shoplifter.

Nobody is suggesting that  the shoplifter wasn't totally in the wrong, or that there may be issues with what shop staff and  security guards can or can't do in this and similar situations.

However a description of a woman which includes only skin colour and perceived age is problematic in my view.

[beansprout]

Here we go again…. 

[Angelina]

The descriptors are 

Woman

30s

Black

There is no point in describing clothes as they change.  If it was a white woman, descriptors should include hair colour, eye colour.

While sex or race on their own are not helpful, the three descriptors do not warrant the OP to be labelled racist (and why not sexist or ageist while you're at it???).

Sometimes, facts are just that.  We know that there is an increase due to financial circumstances, organised crime and mental health.

The real issue is the observation of the temerity and lack of consequence. 

Grow up.

[vladi]

17 hours ago, christine56 said:

just left co op black lady in late 30s stole beers out the fridge.the people in the store just let her go why ,have you got security man on the door who did nothing .she calmly walked to the bus stop to catch the bus.if you (the thief)are reading this.your a very scummy person.look at the state of this country 

Did you think about taking a photo on your phone and giving it to Co-op management ?

Better still post here on the forum.

If we see it an do nothing then the problem will only get worse and prices will hve to rise to cover the cost of this crime.

Edited July 14 by vladi
added image

[Penguin68]

Absolutely don't post on the forum. By all means provide evidence to the police or shop security. 

[alice]

Maybe I’ve got this wrong but didn’t the metropolitan police have a £200 minimum for investigating shoplifting  because of their other priorities.  

[Angelina]

Just because the security did not chase the shoplifter does not mean no action was taken.

Security camera footage can be sent to the police and used in evidence and actually is an effective means of prosecution. 

Staff should not put themselves in a potentially dangerous position - stock is insured and can be replaced. 

I remember a member of Coop staff chasing a thief and getting hurt 

 

 

[vladi]

35 minutes ago, Penguin68 said:

Absolutely don't post on the forum. By all means provide evidence to the police or shop security. 

Are you now the forum police?

[Angelina]

9 minutes ago, vladi said:

Are you now the forum police?

because it could affect any police action, if a suspect is posted on social media

[Earl Aelfheah]

37 minutes ago, alice said:

Maybe I’ve got this wrong but didn’t the metropolitan police have a £200 minimum for investigating shoplifting  because of their other priorities.  

For goods under £200, shoplifting is treated as a summary offense and is often dealt with through fines or community service. Changes were made to the Anti-social behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42492488

Shoplifting is a massive problem right now. It's at the highest levels ever recorded according to the OfS.

Edited July 14 by Earl Aelfheah

[Sue]

1 hour ago, Angelina said:

The descriptors are 

Woman

30s

Black

There is no point in describing clothes as they change.  If it was a white woman, descriptors should include hair colour, eye colour.

While sex or race on their own are not helpful, the three descriptors do not warrant the OP to be labelled racist (and why not sexist or ageist while you're at it???).

Sometimes, facts are just that.  We know that there is an increase due to financial circumstances, organised crime and mental health.

The real issue is the observation of the temerity and lack of consequence. 

Grow up.

How was what I posted in any way childish?

I stand by what I said, that the description given could apply to many people and was not helpful  in identifying the person.

It is not clear why it needed to be posted on here at all.

[vladi]

9 minutes ago, Angelina said:

because it could affect any police action, if a suspect is posted on social media

It would aid police - particularly if it establishes that the shoplifter is a habitual offender. That aside , the £200 threshold just means the offender can carry on regardless until trespassed. Trespassing the perp is the only meaningful method the control the crime and it is incumbent on us all the assist the shop owner and the police to identify the person.

[Insuflo]

The Caring, Sharing Co-op, as was:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/12/co-op-brighton-shop-owners-fight-against-eviction#img-1 
 

This is well off-topic I know: but it’s a story about a woman who has quite literally had her shop lifted by the Co-op.

Edited July 14 by Insuflo

[Moovart]

1 hour ago, Sue said:

The original post was about one shoplifter.

Nobody is suggesting that  the shoplifter wasn't totally in the wrong, or that there may be issues with what shop staff and  security guards can or can't do in this and similar situations.

However a description of a woman which includes only skin colour and perceived age is problematic in my view.

Focussing on the OP immediately shifts the focus of the post from the antisocial, thieving git that the OP wants to vent about to a discussion about casual racism and in my mind, it's the shoplifter who should be the focus of this thread even though she is unidentifiable.  It's all just venting on here in the end.

[Sue]

1 minute ago, Moovart said:

Focussing on the OP immediately shifts the focus of the post from the antisocial, thieving git that the OP wants to vent about to a discussion about casual racism and in my mind, it's the shoplifter who should be the focus of this thread even though she is unidentifiable.  It's all just venting on here in the end.

But it's a forum. For discussion.

You can't control what other people want to say in response to somebody else's post!

Threads go in all sorts of directions.

[alice]

54 minutes ago, Earl Aelfheah said:

For goods under £200, shoplifting is treated as a summary offense and is often dealt with through fines or community service. Changes were made to the Anti-social behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42492488

Shoplifting is a massive problem right now. It's at the highest levels ever recorded according to the OfS.

If there is no threat of violence, et cetera, police rarely attend so fines And community service won’t happen

[Angelina]

Shoplifting, although on the surface a minor crime, actually affects our community. There are so many minor crimes that are too small for the police to attend, yet they all add up

[heartblock]

Were they short, tall, skinny, had a limp, hat? No hat? So narrowed down to ‘black’. What are we supposed to do with that information and why give it. 
Some self reflection is required. 

[Angelina]

actually narrowed down to a woman and black and 30 years old.

 

[HeadNun]

2 minutes ago, heartblock said:

Were they short, tall, skinny, had a limp, hat? No hat? So narrowed down to ‘black’. What are we supposed to do with that information and why give it. 
Some self reflection is required. 

Some people find witnessing crime distressing. Maybe the poor OP was just rattled and wanted to let off steam here. Give them a break. It's the rest of you who jumped down their throat that require a little self reflection. 

[heartblock]

Yes tell the police..give them a description… what is the case for describing here, it’s irrelevant information. What’s the percentage of people in ED fitting that description. I’m sure the Daily Mail thinks all the irrelevant information about ‘migrants’ , ‘single mothers’  ‘etc etc is ‘fine’. Once on social media it instantly affects what people think and that’s the issue. It matters. 
 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/27/black-children-arrested-london-more-likely-criminalised-than-white-children