Irish Examiner view: Will shoplifting bring down the high street?

There is a weight of evidence, both anecdotal and official, that levels of shoplifting have reached epidemic proportions and have accelerated since the pandemic and lockdown

There has been a surge of thefts from shops in Ireland, as in other countries.

There is a continuing weight of evidence, anecdotal and official, that levels of shoplifting — a crime often unreported and unprosecuted —have reached epidemic proportions and have accelerated since the pandemic and lockdown.

It is a worldwide problem. In Britain, thefts have more than doubled in the past six years, reaching 8m last year, and costing shopkeepers €1.1bn. In San Francisco — blighted by homelessness, joblessness, and a devastating opioid crisis — some chains are pulling out due to shoplifting.