30/08/2026
๐จ ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ก ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐? ๐จ
This isn't one of our normal Tech Surgery posts.
But after what I witnessed again tonight, I think this is a conversation we seriously need to have.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐?
Most of our customers know that we currently keep the door at The Tech Surgery locked following my shoulder injury following a shop lifting.
But looking at what is happening across our area, I genuinely wonder whether locked shop doors are eventually going to become normal for a completely different reason.
๐ฅซ As part of the food-waste collections I do every evening, I'm assigned to collect from three supermarkets.
That means I'm regularly in and around supermarkets and convenience stores at the end of the day.
And the amount of shoplifting I'm witnessing is staggering.
๐๐น๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ'๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
And I'm not talking about occasionally seeing someone slip one or two items into their pocket.
I'm talking about people walking into shops and ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฆ.
Armfuls of products.
Then walking straight back out.
Again and again.
And this isn't just happening to huge supermarkets that people might assume can "afford the loss".
It's happening to the smaller stores too.
Tesco Express.
Sainsbury's Local.
Small convenience stores serving local communities.
And some of the numbers are absolutely frightening.
๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐๐ข๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ'๐ฆ.
It's a relatively small shop โ physically smaller than The Tech Surgery.
According to figures given directly to me, that one shop is being hit around:
๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ. ๐๐๐ฌ.
And in just ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ช๐๐๐, more than:
๐ท ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐จ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ท
worth of stock was taken.
ยฃ4,000+.
One relatively small local supermarket.
One week.
Those aren't numbers I've picked up from Facebook or heard through somebody who heard it from somebody else.
They were given to me directly.
And that's just ๐ข๐ก๐ shop.
Think about that for a minute.
How much is being stolen every week when you multiply this across South Tyneside?
Across Tyne and Wear?
Across the North East?
๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐'๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ.
From what I'm witnessing and hearing from stores, some shoplifters appear to be using the Metro network to move quickly between different areas.
Get off the Metro.
Check when the next train is due.
Wait until there's enough time.
Go into a nearby shop.
Raid it.
Get back onto the Metro.
Move onto another area.
And potentially do exactly the same thing again.
When you look at places such as East Boldon, Simonside and Northumberland Park โ areas with shops accessible from Metro stations โ you start to understand why retailers in these locations can be hit so frequently.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น.
And we shouldn't start accepting it as normal.
โ ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง?
Because businesses cannot keep absorbing these losses forever.
People sometimes think:
"It's a supermarket. They can afford it."
But ultimately, ๐ช๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฌ.
Stock losses increase.
Security costs increase.
Insurance costs increase.
Staff have to deal with increasingly difficult and potentially dangerous situations.
Prices rise.
Opening hours can be reduced.
Stores become less viable.
And eventually?
๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ข๐ฆ๐.
Once they're gone, it's the local community that loses them.
And if this is happening to major chains, imagine the impact theft can have on a small independent business.
We don't have hundreds of branches to spread losses across.
For many small businesses, a serious theft could wipe out the profit from days or even weeks of trading.
๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐๐๐?
Do our police need more resources to deal with retail crime?
Do store security teams need greater powers and protection?
Do repeat offenders need much tougher consequences?
Should retailers, police and public transport operators be working much more closely together when people are apparently using transport networks to move between stores?
And ultimately:
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐?
Because just allowing businesses to be repeatedly raided cannot be the answer.
โ ๏ธ And there's something else that genuinely concerns me.
If ordinary members of the public continually watch people walking into shops, taking armfuls of goods and apparently walking away without consequence, frustration is inevitably going to grow.
Eventually somebody is going to decide:
๐๐ก๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ข๐จ๐๐.
And members of the public may start trying to intervene themselves.
I really don't want to see that happen.
Because that's when somebody โ a customer, shop worker, security guard or even a completely innocent bystander โ could end up seriously hurt.
We shouldn't allow things to reach that point.
Shop workers deserve to feel safe going to work.
Businesses deserve to be able to trade without wondering when they're going to be targeted next.
Customers shouldn't have to watch shops being openly raided.
And communities deserve to keep the shops they rely upon.
๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐.
๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐ก๐ง ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐๐.
Have you noticed shoplifting getting worse around South Shields and South Tyneside?
If you work in retail, what are you experiencing?
If you run a local business, has theft changed the way you operate?
And most importantly...
โ ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง?
More police resources?
Stronger sentences for persistent offenders?
More powers for store security?
Better cooperation between retailers, police and transport operators?
Or is there another solution we're completely missing?
๐ Let's get a proper local conversation going in the comments.
Please keep it respectful โ disagree with each other by all means, but let's talk about solutions rather than attacking one another.
Because if we simply accept this as "just how things are now", I genuinely worry about what our high streets and local shops are going to look like in a few years' time.
๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ.
๐ช๐ ๐๐๐ก'๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ช๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ.
