Am I stuck in Groundhog Day? As another ‘kamikaze shoplifting’ video goes viral, I’m suffering from a serious case of déjà vu…

If you recognise that line, you’ll know it’s from the 1993 comedy classic Groundhog Day. Great film. Bill Murray at his finest. However, just because I enjoy a film about endless déjà vu, it doesn’t mean I want to star in one. And yet, here we are… Every morning, I check my social feed and – like clockwork – I’m greeted by yet another viral video of a rampant shoplifting incident. Today’s instalment? A gang of teens smashing their way through an EE store. Yesterday, it was the Great Greggs Heist –some particularly audacious thieves making off with armfuls of sausage rolls. The day before? A hooded crew sweeping through a high street shop whilst staff looked on, helpless.

Even Esme gave me a weary look this morning that said, “Not this again..!” However, unlike the time-stranded weatherman Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, I’d like to think we can take meaningful action that DOES matter… A few years ago, I was involved in the making of Catch A Thief UK – Shops And Robbers, a TV show that aired real-life footage of criminals in action. Seeing the same kind of chaos go viral today, I decided to reach out to my old producers about a reboot. No luck. Turns out they’ve shut down. Undeterred, I fired off an email to the BBC in the hope that they may be interested. They should be…

The spike in viral shoplifting videos shines a spotlight on a growing breed of criminals dubbed “kamikaze shoplifters”. No masks. No subtlety. Just sheer audacity (their “stop me if you dare” mentality isn’t that dissimilar to the attitude we’re currently seeing elsewhere in world politics!). Interestingly, these videos don’t just expose crime – they expose public frustration too. It’s probably the reason why they’re clocking up so many views. People have had enough. And I don’t blame them. Ordinary folk are watching this lawlessness unfold daily and thinking, “I work hard and pay for MY stuff!” So they share the video, setting the snowball effect in motion.

Whilst it may not grab the same level of media attention, there’s also another growing problem – the rise of so-called “white-collar” shoplifting. I’m not talking about your typical repeat offenders or brazen kamikaze shoplifters here. These are (in the main) law-abiding shoppers who “accidentally” forget to scan a bottle of wine or a bag of crisps at the self-checkout.  What’s in their mind? The supermarket won’t miss it… if I’m caught, I’ll say “I forgot to scan it”… “the machine didn’t work”…“I thought it beeped”. But that theft still hikes up the cost of everyone else’s shopping…

That £8 block of cheddar? Not just due to inflation my friend! At Advantage One, we’ve been bucking the trend. Whilst national shoplifting stats have hit record highs, our data shows a reduction in incidents where we operate. Years of focused crime prevention are paying off, proving that tackling the issue head-on can make a difference. And sometimes, you just can’t turn off that drive… poor old Scott learned that the hard way this week when he got himself sent off at his son’s football match for shouting at the ref! Apparently, there was a particularly unjust decision, and let’s just say Scott’s passion for fair play extends beyond the workplace!

I guess it just goes to show that when your job is to challenge bad behaviour, it’s hard to bite your tongue… even when you probably should! Shoplifting has reached crisis point, but the public is watching, sharing and speaking up. That’s why I’m urging you, dear reader, to like and share our videos. The more people that unite in their determination not to stand for this level of lawlessness, even amongst our own number, the greater the impetus for change becomes.

In the meantime, our officers will keep doing what they do best – identifying and detaining shoplifters. Because at the end of the day, we’re all paying for this. And frankly, the price we’re paying (in more than one sense) is getting ridiculous…