Brazen shoplifters are caught on camera clearing convenience store’s shelves – as owner tells how one punched him as he battles crime costing him £26,000 a year

 A convenience store has caught brazen shoplifters stealing from their shelves as the owners reveal £26,000 worth of goods were stolen in a year. 

Vince and Fiona Malone, owners of Tenby stores in Pembrokeshire, estimate that on average their business loses £500 a week because of stolen goods.

Cases of shoplifting across the UK have soared in recent years – with the Office for National Statistics estimating that it has increased by an astonishing 30 per cent between March 2023 and March 2024. 

For small business such as Mr and Mrs Malone’s store the loss of income because of shoplifting means they can’t hire new staff. 

Mrs Malone, speaking to BBC Newsnight, said: ‘They [shoplifters] think it is a victimless crime but it’s not and stealing from shops can have a big impact.’ 

Vince and Fiona Malone, owners of Tenby stores in Pembrokeshire, estimate that on average their business loses £500 a week because of stolen goods

Mr Malone (pictured) was even assaulted by a shoplifter. Her said: ‘I told him he was banned and he took a swing at me and hit me on the shoulder’

The couple shared with Newsnight CCTV footage that shows shoplifters brazenly filling their pockets and bags with produce from their store. 

Mrs Malone said: ‘This happens on a daily basis and it is so frustrating for us.’

To combat this there are now more than 30 cameras in the store and the shopkeepers have started using an AI software called x-hoppers that logs any suspicious behaviour to help catch shoplifters.

Mr Malone said: ‘We have 32 cameras  and we’ve seen a marked decrease since we brought in the cameras.’ 

In one instance Mr Malone was assaulted by a shoplifter. 

He said: ‘We had a gentleman who stole in the morning and we caught him on the camera but we were too slow to catch him and came back again. 

‘Fiona had identified him I heard there was a commotion on the shopfloor and I tried to diffuse the situation.

‘I got him outside and then He asked ‘why you are doing this? it isn’t hurting anybody’ and the anger that builds up inside us because this our livelihood so every pound you steal is taken away from my children. 

‘I told him he was banned and he took a swing at me and hit me on the shoulder.’ 

The police were called but the shoplifter is still at large. 

To combat shoplifting there are now more than 30 cameras in the store and the shopkeepers have started using an AI software called x-hooper that logs any suspicious behaviour to help catch shoplifters

Mrs Malone (pictured) said: ‘They [shoplifters] think it is a victimless crime but it’s not and stealing from shops can have a big impact’

Mr Malone said: ‘He is banned from my shop but that doesn’t mean he won’t come back.’ 

Yesterday, a serial shoplifter revealed that he would often steal goods which were then sold on to other businesses across Leeds. 

Ross, who has 23 convictions in the past two decades including 15 for shoplifting, said: ‘With my bag full of stuff, I’d know which shop to go to sell it on and we’d discuss a price and I’m out of there with the money.

‘Perfume, always a staple. Box sets, cosmetics, leather handbags, a big box of Lego can be £100.

‘I’m not allowed in most of the shops around here. I’m banned from them.’

The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously said she would remove a 2014 law which meant thefts of goods less than £200 were subject to less punishment. 

An idea that Mrs Malone supports as a means of deterring children from shoplifting.