Shop owner Surinder Josan talks about the impact of shoplifting

Shopkeepers have called for more action following a marked increase in shoplifting incidents in the West Midlands.

Transcript

00:00We've experienced a lot of increase in crime recently, particularly after the cost of living

00:06increases, particularly because of that. So yeah, and it's reflected amongst a whole lot of other

00:12shopkeepers. We all try to keep in touch to see who's walking around and about

00:18and keep each other clued up. And I remember one time we had a chap who,

00:24and it's fuelled by drugs of course, he's walking off with our fruit trees,

00:28and they're not cheap, about £35, £40 each, and every now and again an apple tree will disappear

00:34or a plum tree. And the grocery shop further down the road, he caught up with me and said,

00:39have you noticed somebody's been coming and taking your fruit trees? And I said, yeah.

00:44And he said, we know who it is because we've seen who's been walking past with them. We definitely

00:48know he's not purchasing, he's not that type of person. So yeah, the next time he comes we'll

00:54point it out to you. And so when he walked past next, he quickly called me over and says,

00:58there's the chap. So three or four of us rushed round down to Stoney Lane and surrounded him and

01:04said, OK, what do you think you're doing? You're nicking our fruit trees, aren't you? And I said,

01:08prove it. And I said, the whole High Street is my proof. And I said, basically, if I see you again

01:15in the High Street, there's going to be serious repercussions. You're not wanted around here.

01:20Everybody here knows who you are, right? So disappear off. And we'd never saw him again.

01:25So obviously, he's gone somewhere else to ply his trade. But it's something that we have to

01:29do ourself because it's the sort of thing, I mean, I thought to myself, shall I report it?

01:35What shall I report? I haven't seen anything. I don't know who's done it until the time when

01:39it actually happened. And so we've got to take the opportunity to sort it out there.