Comment Re:Those who would give up essential Liberty (Score 1) 113
"so I'm guessing they're crime statistics are roughly in line with ours.
There's an issue across the UK where thugs and drug users will target shops selling 'high' value groceries e.g. large chocolate bars or strong alcoholic drinks.
The criminals will threaten to use violence against any member of staff who intervenes in the theft.
They'll then walk the goods round to a dodgy shop willing to buy them, and so have that as a source of income for buying drugs.
It's an absolute shitshow, and the UK police aren't able to cope with it. Part of the problem is that each crime is small, so that even if you catch someone in the act of stealing one thing from a shop, the culprit would be unlikely to receive a prison sentence from it. The police need to be able to acquire evidence of a pattern of theft, possibly across multiple shops, by a single person.
I'm not sure I would go as far as saying I support the plan, but it also doesn't seem out of scale with the problem being faced by shopkeepers.