I would tackle a shoplifter (but only if they’re not too big), says Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch said she would tackle a burglar as long as they weren’t ‘too big’.
The Conservative Party leader criticized members of the public who failed to intervene and allowed criminals to ‘think they can get away with it’.
He said his instinct would be to confront a thief if he thought there was no personal risk to himself, adding that others should not ‘look the other way’.
“I think it depends on how big they are,” he told Times Radio.
‘But yeah, that’s my instinct in general. I think people should pay attention to their personal security. I think stronger people should do more.’
Ms Badenoch highlighted the problem in a speech as the Conservative Party launched its local election campaign on Thursday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she would tackle a shoplifter as long as they weren’t ‘too big’
She said she recently went to Lucinda’s, a boutique in south London, where she was told people were ‘breaking in and stealing all the clothes racks’.
‘Brazenly, walking empty-handed, trying to get out with an armful of stock,’ he said.
‘Sometimes he manages to stop them, sometimes. Other times he watches the thieves disappear through the door with his employees’ wages, because that’s what they are.’
Ms Badenoch added: ‘I know now that there is a tendency for people not to put themselves in danger.
But I also think that sometimes we need to send a message that this is unacceptable. People will do something if they think they can get away with it.’
