‘It’s all hot air’: Starmer under attack from theft-hit shopkeeper for ‘tougher punishment’ pledge

A fed-up shopkeeper forced to physically fend off thieves targeting his shop has hit back at Sir Keir Starmer’s claim the government could start winning the war on shoplifting, telling the beleaguered Prime Minister: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Andrew Board runs a shop in Co Durham; He becomes frustrated with the lack of police there and often chases criminals who try to escape with stolen goods, dragging them back inside to retrieve the items and get their names.

But the 40-year-old man claims criminals regularly resurface, even after being arrested, days later after receiving minor sentences for another theft spree in the community.

On Monday, Sir Keir claimed that “the tide could turn against shoplifters” by putting an extra 3,000 neighborhood police officers on the streets and scrapping a rule that meant thefts of goods worth less than £200 were not “properly investigated” by police.

He said the number of people accused of shoplifting increased by 17 percent, while the number of crimes dropped slightly last year.

He also said his government was “toughening the punishment” – but according to a Justice Department analysis Independent It shows that the proportion of convicted thieves sent to prison remained stable at 27.5 percent in the year ending September 2025.

The average length of prison sentence for burglars also remained unchanged at two months and the average fine fell from £2 to £105.

Mr Board said: “Until there is a fair punishment for those caught stealing there will be no change in the situation. There is no deterrent and the sooner politicians realize this and get it under proper control it will only continue. Until then it’s all hot air from Starmer.”

“Those of us on the front lines have to face the constant threat of thieves breaking into our store. We have to deal with the loss of money and their behavior. For some, this means [stealing from a shop] “It was like I won a cup.”

A few weeks ago, Mr Board said he caught a thief trying to steal “everyday” items while his accomplice distracted a staff member at the till. The goods were seized when they were stopped, but it was later revealed they had eaten several packets of stolen crisps after leaving.

Mr Board said he tracked their identities using Facebook and passed the information on to Durham Constabulary. Eight weeks later, he said, police called him to inform him that the pair had been dealt with through a community order, meaning they had no convictions or criminal record for the offending.

A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said: Independent: “Officers spoke to the suspects, a 41-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, who admitted the offense. They were issued with a community order and were banned from several shops in the Durham area.”

As Sir Keir made his speech in front of trades union Usdaw on Monday, the Center for Social Justice warned of an epidemic of street crime. The think tank produced a joint analysis showing that the average number of crimes committed by shoplifters has almost doubled in five years, from 5.5 crimes to 9.1 crimes per convicted shoplifter.

Last week, it was revealed Greggs was even moving food and drink behind anti-theft counters in a bid to deter thieves.

CSJ chairman Sir Iain said: “Communities across Britain are suffering from a wave of street crime. Despite years of economic hardship, some of our towns and city centers are at risk of being permanently evacuated.”

Sir Keir’s comments follow uproar over the sacking of a Morrisons store manager who tried to stop a shoplifter.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Sir Keir of “brazen cheek” in his speech on Monday.

he said Independent: “As any shopkeeper will tell you, Labor is giving up shoplifting. Labor has certainly not become stronger. Last year alone they cut overall police numbers by 1,300 and now they plan to abolish prison sentences under one year.”

“This means almost no shoplifters will go to prison. This will lead to a massive increase in shoplifting as thieves realize there will never be real consequences under Labor.”

Independent He approached No. 10 for comment.