'We're desperate', says shopkeeper facing daily thefts

A campaigner fighting against shoplifting is calling for more proactive policing, saying thieves have become "emboldened because police are not doing enough".

Thukitha Maheswaran, who runs a shop in Sheerness, told the BBC that shoplifting incidents across the town - and in her store - were frequent.

It comes as Kent Police released figures in September which said between June 2024 to June 2025 theft rose by 9.1%, totalling 17,091 incidents.

Supt Rob Marsh, from Kent Police, said: "Tackling shoplifting is a responsibility we take seriously and we do not underestimate the damaging impact this crime can have on businesses."

Ms Maheswaran, who has ran this shop for several years, said the shoplifting had been "affecting their livelihoods".

"It has been stressful for us and the staff. We experience verbal abuse and aggression," she added.

She added they have installed CCTV in their shop and even shared images on Facebook to identify culprits.

However, she said it was "not making a difference".

"[The thieves] don't care," Ms Maheswaran said. "I don't know why."

"Maybe there's pressure for them as well, such as cost of living. Maybe they don't have any other choice. There's two sides [to a story], always."

Supt Marsh said the number of solved offences had increase by 26% in the last year after the launch of a national crackdown.

"Our neighbourhood teams regularly patrol town centres and shopping precincts and are well placed to respond quickly to incidents," he added.

Supt Marsh also said officers knew the identity of persistent offenders and the shops they targeted, which can help them make early arrests and secure convictions.

Kent Police has also used legal measures to ban 26 offenders from specific areas.

Officers work closely with traders to confront shoplifting together, Supt Marsh said, along with other crimes that affect retailers such as antisocial behaviour.

He added: "This includes the setting up of radio schemes that enable information on suspects to be shared between police officers, CCTV operators and shopkeepers when incidents happen."

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