WITH shoplifting offences up by 29 per cent this year, a 41-year-old single mum from Surrey reveals her guilt over her criminal habit. HOLDING a block of solid shampoo in my hand, I pretend to smell another product as I skillfully slip it up my jacket sleeve. After browsing for another few minutes, I casually stroll out of the shop, overtaken by a rush of euphoria at getting away with my crime.
I’d just shoplifted , stealing something that I didn’t even need. And I knew I had to stop. It seems I’m one of a growing number of people to recently turn to shoplifting.
According to the Office for National Statistics, offences of this kind in England and Wales rose by 29 per cent to just shy of half a million in the year to June, and are at a 20-year high. I’ve been shoplifting for four years and, to date, I estimate I’ve stolen almost £5,000 worth of goods. Luckily for me, I’ve never been caught, but I’ve had a few near misses.
I don’t look like a stereotypical shoplifter . I’m in my early forties and a single mum-of-two with a full-time job as a primary school teacher. I dress smartly and am always polite with shop assistants.
It wasn’t until 2020, when Covid struck and my life fell apart, that my habit started. My partner walked out on me and our children, now aged five and seven, and I’d sob myself to sleep, worried about how I was going to manage on my own. I applied for Universal Credit, but each month I was left with less than £200 to cover food and es.
