This is the moment a shoplifter casually stuffs his bag with stolen M&S groceries before pushing past staff and walking out.
The brazen thief was caught on camera pulling items from shelves full of jams and chutneys at the store on London’s Chancery Lane.
His utterly relaxed demeanor is fresh proof of shoplifters’ fearlessness in the face of police inaction, with the crime currently at record levels.
The footage shows the thief grabbing items even as a staff member confronts him and asks that he place the items in his basket on December 23.
He pushes past the man standing in his path using a metal basket, before walking out of the store’s exit onto the street outside.
Shoplifting offences across Britain soared by 30 per cent in a year to the highest level in two decades.
Almost 444,000 crimes were recorded by forces in England and Wales in the year to March, up from 342,428 in the previous 12 months. This is the highest figure since records began in 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It comes as Londoners feel abandoned by police, with many store owners not bothering to report offences as criminal gangs operate without any fear of being caught, while crime and stabbing continues to plague the capital.
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The relaxed thief brazenly stashed away items in his bag at the M&S store on Chancery Lane on December 23
Despite being confronted by a member of staff, the thief persists in taking items from the shelf and putting them in his duffel bag
In an attempt to flee, the man pushes his way past the retail worker as he makes off with the goods
Members of the public have been left outraged by the clip, which has been viewed over five million times online.
‘Thieves make prices skyrocket for the rest of us hard working people,’ one wrote.
A second said: ‘Every food shop all over London sees this regularly. It is a disgrace.’
A third added: ‘Zero tolerance for thieves, straight to jail,’ whilst a fourth quipped: ‘That staff member went above and beyond.’
Industry figures say underreporting means shoplifting is even more endemic than currently thought, with many store owners not bothering to report offences to overwhelmed police and criminal gangs operating without any fear of being caught.
Professor Joshua Bamfield Director, Centre for Retail Research, said the rise of shoplifting was being driven by the perception that it was a risk-free crime.
He told MailOnline last month: ‘At one time, shoplifting used to be a sort of craft where people didn’t want to get caught because they knew they’d be trouble, but now people don’t even bother because there’s a perception nothing much will happen to you.
‘A lot of retail crime now is organised, with people stealing large quantities of products like alcohol, meat and designer clothes. They are linked to other criminals who sell it on elsewhere.
The brazen thief – who is wearing headphones – ignores the member of staff as he continues loading his bag
He barges past the staff member attempting to intervene before making his way to the exit
The man walking out of the store in central London
Almost 444,000 shoplifting offences were recorded by forces in England and Wales in the year to March, up from 342,428 in the previous 12 months
‘The fact thefts below £200 are not pursued and there are a lot of demands on officers mean retailers have found it very difficult to get the kind of support they require.
‘Meanwhile, managers have become increasingly concerned about the violence that apprehending shoplifters can involve so are telling their employees not to risk it.
‘So you’ve got two issues – shoplifting being partly decriminalised and the fact the police are too busy, then retailers telling shop staff not to intervene.
Professor Bamfield suggested the latest police figures may actually underplay the seriousness of the situation due to underreporting.
‘Shops are rationing their use of police, which means offences are going unreported,’ he said. ‘I spoke to one retailer who said police had told them only to report two shoplifting offences a day because they don’t have enough time.’
The retail expert suggested the only way to tackle the epidemic was to make it a priority for law enforcement.
‘Shoplifting is often an individual’s way to becoming a serious criminal so if you stop them at 15 or 16 that may get them off that path,’ he said.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium said: ‘Retail workers are facing unprecedented levels of violence and abuse.
‘No one should go to work and fear for their safety.’
The financial hit to businesses from shoplifting is huge, with the Met Police recording more than £15million in stolen goods and money, according to the latest data from last year.
However, this is likely to dramatically understate the scale of the problem, with an inquiry warning this week that police-recorded incidents were a ‘drop in the ocean’ compared to the number actual shoplifting offences taking place.
It comes as police continue to hunt a Romanian crime ring known as the ‘Champagne gang’ who are believed to have stolen at least £73,000 of goods from supermarkets across the UK.
The group usually operates in threes, with gang members wearing Bluetooth headsets to communicate with each other during the shoplifting operation.
MailOnline has contacted the Met Police and M&S for comment.
