Phylo
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LAWLESS LABOUR
Thousands of the UK's most prolific shoplifters are 'set to avoid jail under Labour plans' - as stores brace for more mob chaos and supermarket chief calls for guards to be given pepper spray and truncheons
Thousands of Britain's most prolific shoplifters could avoid prison under new Labour plans, with retailers warning of potential chaos and supermarket bosses calling for security staff to be equipped with pepper spray.The new laws, which scrap most prison sentences of under one year, could allow up to 12,000 repeat offenders to avoid jail.
The changes stem from the Sentencing Act introduced last year, which restricts magistrates and judges to imposing one-year prison terms only in 'exceptional circumstances.'
According to Ministry of Justice data, 98 per cent of shoplifters currently in prison would be eligible for alternative 'community punishments' under the new system.
This is despite shoplifting offences in England and Wales rising by five per cent in the year to September 2025, reaching 519,381, as per the latest ONS figures.
Levels remain just below the record 530,439 offences recorded in the year to March 2025.
The law, which came into force last month, was introduced to ease overcrowding in prisons. However, it has raised concerns that removing a strong deterrent could lead to a rise in shoplifting.
Lord Walker of Broxton, executive chairman of Iceland, said that 'just one incident of violence against my staff is too many,' pointing to the example of armed security guards in Spain to tackle rising retail crime.
Thousands of shoplifters are 'set to avoid jail under Labour plans'
The new laws, which scrap most prison sentences of under one year, could allow up to 12,000 repeat offenders to avoid jail.