A prolific shoplifter whose five year theft campaign cost fashion retailers in Manchester and the North-West a staggering £1.4 million has told his victims that a simple ‘hello’ or a ‘greeting’ from staff or security personnel would have made him think again or go elsewhere.

Paul, not his real name, came face-to-face with the Fashion Forum, the heads of loss prevention for the UK’s major high street apparel stores in Manchester to explain his actions, motivations and modus operandi as part of his rehabilitation.

The presentation could prompt a review of shopping centre procedures as the Forum is now looking to take the intelligence back to their stores and security suppliers, particularly in relation to staffing practices and technology identified by Paul as easy to get around.

The shoplifter was eventually given a 22-month suspended sentence last year after assaulting a store manager trying to detain him and his former girlfriend who were both £1600 per day drug users whose habit cost them in excess of £350,000 over five years.

Accompanied by arresting officer Mike Ashworth from Greater Manchester Police, Paul, a 31-year-old former solider who saw action in Kuwait and Cyprus, switched to a more lucrative ‘career’ in store theft at the Arndale and Trafford shopping centres, as well as in other parts of Greater Manchester after becoming hooked on heroin and crack cocaine.
 
His girlfriend would identify the stock to be taken – often phoned through to order by ‘fences’– and Paul would place the clothing items in a foil-lined bag to avoid alarm detection as the aluminium interfered with the signal between the security tags and the door antennae.

He said store technology may have deterred him early on, but his habit made him more brazen as he could ‘fence’ stolen clothes for 33 per cent of their sale value and £100 worth of vouchers would yield him £60 cash.

When asked about deterrents, he said: “If stores kept the same uniformed security staff on the door and they got to know me, I would think twice about going in there. Likewise if staff came over to me to say ‘hello’ or to see if I needed help, I would leave the store often leaving the bag behind.”

On successful sprees, Paul and his girlfriend would hit the same store up to four times per day. He said early in the day was a good time to steal as there were fewer staff around and Sundays were a particularly favourable time for easier pickings. Busy times were also good, although never sale times as they could not get good prices from the criminal fences.

Accompanied by CCTV footage of him in action Paul, who has served time in prison for theft, told the Forum that his preferred targets were clothing and high value fashion items, but opportunistic theft was always attractive and on one occasion he wheeled a jacuzzi out of a store without anyone stopping him.

“This was a little like coming face-to-face with your nemesis as Paul had stolen from each of the 25 retailers in that room on more than one occasion and he made it look and sound very easy indeed,” said Richard Lawrance, chairman of the Fashion Forum.

“It was extremely useful to have that candid conversation about modus operandi. Although I don’t think he told us anything we did not already suspect, it was a wake up call to say that it is the simple things that make the difference and that staff training and customer service play a pivotal role in preventing shoplifting in the first place. We have all been aware of foil-lined bags for some time, but we are all likely to review our practices and procedures as well as technology that he and his associates felt were easy to get around.”