Police must take strong line against shoplifting, says Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham has said he wants police forces in England and Wales to “take a strong line against shoplifting”.

The Prime Minister said where police chiefs claim they cannot clamp down on shoplifting, thieves see a “green light” to steal from shops.

Mr Burnham visited a high street on Tuesday in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, where he warned towns “have been hollowed out, particularly in former industrial areas”.

He announced changes to planning policy so retailers who want to set up shop selling e-cigarettes will need to ask their local council for permission.

Similar rules would apply to companies setting up adult gaming centres as part of the proposals, giving town halls the power to block new arcades.

Asked about shoplifting being a problem for high street retailers, Mr Burnham, who was previously the mayor of Greater Manchester, told LBC: “The shopliftingissue is again something that needs to be looked at.

“Learning from my Greater Manchester experience, where we had a situation where, in the past, GMP (Greater Manchester Police) said, ‘Oh, we can’t prioritise shoplifting anymore’.

“That to me is the wrong thing to say because it offers a green light.

“And so, under the current leadership, GMP have taken a really strong line against shoplifting, and it’s right – businesses deserve that support.

“I would want all police forces in England and Wales to do exactly the same.

“Take a strong line against shoplifting because I actually subscribe to what people would call the ‘broken windows theory’ of policing.

“If you let some things go, you’re actually creating the conditions for a lot more to then follow in behind, get a hold of everything.”

The broken windows theory is the idea that rundown places, with buildings with lots of broken windows and covered with graffiti, send a signal that rule-breaking is going unpunished.

This impression in turn attracts criminals into an area.

“I don’t consider shoplifting to be a small thing,” Mr Burnham continued.

“I think it can make staff and customers feel very fearful – it can drag down the perception of safety in a particular place if it’s left unchecked.”

Shoplifting has fallen by 4% over the past year, with 507,086 offences recorded by forces in England and Wales in 2025/26, down from a record 530,324 in 2024/25.

But the number of offences classed as robbery of businesses has nearly doubled, from 15,546 in 2024/25 to 29,669 in 2025/26.

This could be down to a clarification issued to forces by the Home Office in April 2025, setting out that where someone has entered a retail premises, steals, then either uses or threatens violence against staff or other people, the offence should be recorded as robbery of business property, not shoplifting.

Also speaking to LBC, Mr Burnham revealed his Greggs order was “the sausage, bean and cheese thing”, referring to the bakery chain’s sausage, bean and cheese melt.

He had earlier told reporters: “There’s a real concern across the country – I felt it in the Makerfield by-election – about high streets that have been hollowed out, particularly in former industrial areas, that have just been in decline for a long time.

“I want to give local communities the power to turn things around.

“That means clamping down on some of the businesses that cause harm in communities and then supporting those that bring life back to our high street.”