Inge Dunbar, who owns the Sass and Spirit gift shop in Haslemere, has paid for CCTV and extra staff in a bid to disrupt the crimewave. 'That's not to do with the cost of living crisis,' she said
Robberies targeting businesses soared to record high last yearShopkeepers in the genteel market towns of Surrey have accused police of sitting on their hands as they fall victim to a new breed of shoplifters – 'well-off middle-aged women'.
'There are the obvious ones with big bags and little kids who take Jellycats but there are also very normal well-to-do people coming in and stealing things, they don't look like your normal thief.Inge Dunbar, who owns the Sass and Spirit gift shop in nearby Haslemere, has paid for CCTV and extra staff in a bid to disrupt the crime wave.
Shop owners inform one another if they have been stolen from and share CCTV footage of criminals to look out for.Owner of MB Cyclery Ben Marks, 37, and Tom Gunner, 23, . The cycle shop had all of its windows smashed in during a break-in over the summerAnd all business owners in Haslemere are aware of 'particular' shoplifters who frequent the town centre, but police action is still insufficient, according to Ms Dunbar.
'We had this one beautiful hat on display in the window and it was taken in less than half an hour,' she added.The owner of MB Cyclery, Ben Marks, 37, had all of his shop windows smashed during a break-in last summer.'We have an alarm that calls the police but these criminals know there are never any officers in the area, so they have some time before anyone shows up.Mr Marks is also a member of the WhatsApp chat dedicated to spotting shoplifters.
The 23-year-old said: 'There are warning signs, like people who come in and avoid eye contact, then you see them looking towards the cameras.' 'Our manager got hold of his backpack as he ran outside and he turned around and hit her across the face.' Business owners in Haslemere say that a lack of police presence and a tedious crime reporting process have worsened the problem
Cafe owner and town Mayor Oliver Leach, 43, once identified a thief from the local WhatsApp group, took their stolen items and returned them to the shop Mr Leach agreed that there is not a sufficient police presence in Haslemere and said one of the issues faced by independent business owners the ineffective crime reporting process.'But Haslemere has a lot of independent shops and they fall victim as well.
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