Star comment: Crimes not petty to the poor victim
Shropshire's economy is unique. While there are several large-scale employers, particularly in and around Telford, the region also has a disproportionately large number of small, independent businesses.
Across all sectors, employment is derived and wealth are created by those willing to take calculated risks as they create their own businesses.
In manufacturing and service industries, in tourism and hospitality and in agriculture and retail, vast numbers of people save, invest and develop their own business.
It is galling, therefore, that there are those who have little or no respect for the hard work involved. Criminals who illegally take from such characters are not only causing harm to the individual victims, they are also damaging the wider economy.
The way such crimes are dealt with is also important. Too often, they are dismissed as 'petty', an unpalatable euphemism that translates to 'not important'. Such a laissez-faire attitude does a disservice to our economy. For it undermines the hurt such crimes cause, it downplays their effect.
Of course, a sense of proportion is required. And none could argue that the theft of electrical goods from an independent hardware store warrants the same police resources as a violent crime against an individual.
Such distinctions, however, do not mean resources should be diverted away from shoplifting and other criminal activities.
Small retailers frequently work on the smallest margins, struggling to make a net profit in a sector now dominated by the internet.
For the trader who loses £700 to shoplifters might find themself having to work for weeks without pay as they try to make up the loss. And that can mean the inability to pay household bills, wages or other outgoings.
In extreme cases, shoplifting can put business people out of work. Losses are unendurable. Businesses cannot be sustained when small margins are wiped out and marginal profits are turned into losses because of sticky fingered thieves.
Shoplifting is a scourge that should be taken seriously and offenders should be dealt with appropriately. Healthy shopping streets are essential to a healthy economy, especially in Shropshire where we have market towns that attract visitors because of their independent shops. It is essential that, where shop units are empty, everything is done to get them filled. And then every support should be given to business owners to ensure they can serve the community without the handicap of criminality.
