Carlisle pet shop owner recalls close-call puppy theft as shoplifting at 'disappointing' level
Ricky Pieri told our reporter Kieran Macfadzean that some of the thieves were people he knew.
A pet shop owner in Carlisle has said shoplifting in his store has reached "disappointing" levels.
Ricky Pieri, who has run Nu Pets Pet Centre in the city for more than 40 years, told ITV Border that shoplifting has become more frequent and severe - with one would-be thief trying to steal a Chihuahua puppy.
It comes as Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, has pledged to tackle shoplifting and assaults on shop staff in the county following national reports that the crime is at an all-time high.
Mr Pieri said he has been forced to increase security in his shop to try and deter thieves.
He added: "These were people that have been coming in shop for years that you've had conversations with and we know them by name.
"And you find out they're stealing from you, it's quite heart wrenching. It's disappointing."
Positive outcomes where the perpetrator of a crime is identified and appropriately punished only occurred in fewer than 40% of cases last year nationwide.
The most recent crime statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlight that shoplifting figures are at the highest level since records began in 2003.
On Friday 26 July, Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, pledged to better protect businesses and their staff.
He said: "We’ve seen a 9% rise over the last 12 months, nationally its been about 17%.
"Lots of reasons for that one of the reasons is de minimis limit, so lack of prosecutions below £200 theft.
"We don’t take that approach in cumbria we will investigate all the crimes that come to us.
"Nationally the new government are going to be bringing in a new act that will get rid of the £200 limit and put shop lifting back on the forefront and also they’ll be specific offences of assaulting a shop worker which will carry a mandatory penalty."
He added they are now making an effort to crackdown on shoplifting in the area.
Mr Allen said: "In Cumbria we do a number of things, we have our neighbourhood policing teams who are our problem solvers, they work with local businesses find out what the issues are crimes are reported.
"They work with the store keepers to try and find and tackle the prolific offenders and the locations where the offences are occurring.
"The other things that we’re doing are, safer business action days, so again working with businesses targeting the areas where we know things are happening and making sure we take out the offenders before they can commit the crime."
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