Britain is in the grip of a retail crime frenzy

If the police will not, or cannot act, then government must ensure they have the resources they require, writes Chris Blackhurst

A freedom of information request revealed that 71 per cent of serious retail crime was not responded to by the police (Getty Images)

In the Marks & Spencer foodhall near where I live, it’s become a common sight: the duty manager chasing a shoplifter down the street.

They never seem to catch them. But they feel bound to pursue, their pride wounded that someone could simply enter their store and snatch and scarper.

Same in Sweaty Betty. We were in there recently when there was a kerfuffle. We were at the back, paying, and a woman entered, grabbed whatever she could lay her hands on, stuffed the items into a big bag and ran off. She was reckoned to have got away with £300 worth.