[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Parmy

"Them"

What makes them think it's acceptable...


Please read properly next time.


So what makes them think it's acceptable? In your opinion.

Is any anti social behaviour deemed acceptable?

It’s not that they genuinely think it’s acceptable. It’s what happens when you get a big crowd, no control, and people feeding off each other.

Add social media hype and a few pushing it, and normal judgement just drops. It’s not a shared belief, it’s people getting carried away.

[Parmy]

So the meet up was organised on social media. Tuesday night's billled as Clapham 2, after Saturday's violence. We have seeen copycat meet ups descending into violence in Birmingham.

Perhaps the ones attending and causing trouble have lower impulse control than the youths who didn't attend.

[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Parmy

So the meet up was organised on social media. Tuesday night's billled as Clapham 2, after Saturday's violence. We have seeen copycat meet ups descending into violence in Birmingham.

Perhaps the ones attending and causing trouble have lower impulse control than the youths who didn't attend.

That's mock for ya.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by bots

with face recognition tech, those involved will be rounded up in the coming days

I hope so.

[arista]

[London on alert for teen mob chaos: Met deploys more police
over fears of fresh Easter holiday 'linkups']


On Daily Mail +
the pay site

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

Is any anti social behaviour deemed acceptable?

It’s not that they genuinely think it’s acceptable. It’s what happens when you get a big crowd, no control, and people feeding off each other.

Add social media hype and a few pushing it, and normal judgement just drops. It’s not a shared belief, it’s people getting carried away.

Do you mean like the riots last year when some people got carried away I dont recall you being so accommodating in that scenario

[arista]

6 Have been Arrested




BBC1 news

[Glenn.]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Do you mean like the riots last year when some people got carried away I dont recall you being so accommodating in that scenario

Where have I been accommodating

Do you understand how a conversation works?

I was asked by someone who thinks the “feral black youths” skin colour was the reason, why it was happening. Trying to push his racist agenda because according to you lot there is no other reason.

[Nicky91]

Ferals?

as in zombies

[Crimson Dynamo]

"according to you lot"

[Glenn.]

Some great input there.

[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Do you mean like the riots last year when some people got carried away I dont recall you being so accommodating in that scenario

The race riots when they tried to burn people alive in their asylum beds? Genuinely don't know if those are the riots you are referring to, so seeking clarification.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Glenn.

Where have I been accommodating

Do you understand how a conversation works?

I was asked by someone who thinks the “feral black youths” skin colour was the reason, why it was happening. Trying to push his racist agenda because according to you lot there is no other reason.

I never mentioned colour or creed, you have been bending over backwards to defend their actions, they got carried away, it was just a few who escalated it, it is being made into something bigger than it was.... they are all your words not mine that is accommodating in my book but you do you

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

The race riots when they tried to burn people alive in their asylum beds? Genuinely don't know if those are the riots you are referring to, so seeking clarification.

Yes the race riots there were alot of kids at those riots, I didnt see Glenn saying they got carried away in the moment?

[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Yes the race riots there were alot of kids at those riots, I didnt see Glenn saying they got carried away in the moment?

Ok, cheers for clarifying.

[Cherie]

72 under 18s arrested in the race riots...and quite rightly so

[Vanessa]

Originally Posted by Cherie

72 under 18s arrested in the race riots...and quite rightly so

Quite scary if you get caught up in it. Last time I've heard it happen was in Southend and they had weapons.
Hope they arrest them all.

[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Vanessa

Quite scary if you get caught up in it. Last time I've heard it happen was in Southend and they had weapons.
Hope they arrest them all.

Are you worried about getting a knock on the door from 5-0?

[Vanessa]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

Are you worried about getting a knock on the door from 5-0?

I'm not the one terorising people, When I go out I mind my own business.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Vanessa

I'm not the one terorising people, When I go out I mind my own business.

well said Ness

[arista]

Reports this has spread to Birmingham


Reported in todays papers

Not as many youths, though

[Parmy]

If the local police and local mps/councilllors are NOT asking the same question then they ain't doing their job properly.

[Zizu]

Originally Posted by arista

Reports this has spread to Birmingham


Reported in todays papers

Not as many youths, though

Presumably this is gonna spread across the whole country- especially with school holidays imminent

They need to go in hard and fast Imho

[arista]

Originally Posted by Zizu

Presumably this is gonna spread across the whole country- especially with school holidays imminent

Yes,
it is by having a large amount.

No Staff can stop them,

Those staff who rushed to close their doors
did well.

[Cherie]

Marks & Spencer has hit out at Sir Sadiq Khan for failing to get a grip on crime, warning that lawlessness is putting the public at risk.

In its most significant intervention on the issue to date, the retailer urged the Mayor of London to “prioritise effective policing” as “more brazen, more organised and more aggressive” attacks ramp up across Britain’s high streets every day.

Shopkeepers are bracing for what is feared will be a weekend of chaos. Mobs of youths have run riot this week in London, including invading a Marks & Spencer shop in Clapham.

It has fuelled fears of growing lawlessness and prompted a warning from the Metropolitan Police to parents and teenagers before the bank holiday weekend.

Thinus Keeve, Marks & Spencer’s retail director, said staff had been headbutted and taken to hospital following an ammonia attack in the last week as he urged Labour to do more to tackle shoplifting and crime.

Marks & Spencer executives have written to both Sir Sadiq and Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, demanding they do more to address the problem. Mr Keeve said attacks were becoming “more routine”.

Despite the disorder, Sir Sadiq dismissed claims of London being unsafe as “lies” this week.

Marks & Spencer urged the Mayor and the Home Secretary to come clean on “the true scale and impact” of shoplifting, calling for more transparency around crime statistics.

Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Keeve said: “I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London – something none of us believes, and very few people working in retail would see.

“Without a Government seriously cracking down on crime and a Mayor that prioritises effective policing, we are powerless.”

arge groups of teenagers ran riot in the streets and in shops this week, forcing retailers to barricade their doors.

Footage emerged of almost 100 teenagers storming shops, including a Marks & Spencer branch on Clapham High Street, last Saturday. On Tuesday, dozens of balaclava-clad youths were seen lighting fires in south London.

Mr Keeve said incidents were “not isolated”. “It is systemic, and it is getting worse, not better,” he added.

He said: “We need a stronger, faster and more consistent police response, using tools that already exist to target repeat offenders and crime hotspots.”

Marks & Spencer’s call for the Mayor of London and the Home Secretary to act marks the biggest intervention to date by supermarkets.

Shop bosses have consistently argued that more must be done to tackle an epidemic of shoplifting, but have largely focused their attention on the police.

The Co-op has been among the most vocal in demanding action, arguing that organised criminals were behind the attacks rather than people struggling with rising household bills.

Ken Murphy, Tesco’s chief executive, has said his workers “don’t deserve to deal with the anxiety of witnessing aggressive thefts or to have to wonder if the same criminals will come back the next day for another go”.

Recent figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggested there were 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day last year. The trade group said rates were likely much higher as “many incidents were going undetected”.

Shopkeepers in south London fear a repeat of chaotic scenes earlier this week, during which large groups of youths ran riot in Clapham. The Metropolitan Police have issued a warning to parents and teenagers before the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Disorder is linked to a social media trend in which groups of teenagers arrange to meet and run riot through shops and high streets. Six teenage girls have been arrested following the so-called “link-ups”.

Det Ch Supt Emma Bond, who leads policing in the area, said that any young person who thought this was just “a bit of fun” should “carefully consider the consequences”.

She said that “parents and guardians” have a role to play in stopping the disorder.

She urged: “I’d appeal to them to take responsibility – to be proactive in knowing where their children are and who they’re with, and to take steps to make sure they’re not involved in this sort of unacceptable antisocial behaviour.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, called for a significant increase in police officers, a tripling of stop-and-searches, and greater use of live facial recognition to catch wanted criminals in high-shoplifting areas.

He said: “Shoplifting is surging, and the weak Labour Government has no plan to fix it. Prolific shoplifters need to be jailed. Yet Labour is abolishing prison sentences under a year, letting criminals out of jail early and causing police officer numbers to fall for the first time in a decade.”

He claimed Ms Mahmood was “too weak” to “do what is needed to clamp down on shoplifting”.

Police officials have suggested that retailers need to do more to tackle shoplifting themselves. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, told The Telegraph last December that his force was “making a lot of progress”, adding that the retail sector “needs to do better”.

Mr Keeve said supermarkets had invested in technology to tackle the problem, but claimed police forces were not taking advantage of it. He said: “This is not complicated. The capability exists. The data exists. The investment has been made. Time is up; we need to deal with this now.”

Retailers spent a total of £985m to prevent crime last year, rolling out various tools including extra cameras, gates and security guards.

Shoplifting ‘becoming routine’
Marks & Spencer is working with crime intelligence service Auror, which helps retailers record crime in their stores after it occurs, providing better-quality evidence to identify repeat offenders and feed that information to the police.

The retailer claimed police forces were not consistently using these new tools, resulting in “more brazen, more organised and more aggressive” attacks on its stores.

Chief Inspector Rav Pathania, the Met’s lead for tackling retail crime, said shoplifting was “a top priority” and added: “We have open offers to M&S to improve their reporting and information sharing with us, in line with other retailers who have already done so, which will help us to tackle this crime as robustly as possible.”

Mr Keeve said Sir Sadiq and the Home Secretary also needed to provide “greater transparency on crime so the true scale and impact are understood and can be used to target resources”.

He said crime was “worse in London, but it is happening across the country, and it is becoming routine, because it seems there are no consequences”.

The Mayor of London urged UK ambassadors to challenge “lies” about London on Wednesday, saying: “I recognise there is a perception around the globe about London being unsafe. Of course, one crime is one crime too many, but people are spreading false propaganda about the city because it serves their interests.”

Figures from the Metropolitan Police suggest that shoplifting continues to soar in the capital, rising almost a fifth between September 2024 and September 2025.

Separate data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in March showed customers in London were the most likely to have witnessed shoplifting.

A spokesman for the Mayor of London said he “fully supports the Met Police’s data-driven and targeted approach to tackling prolific offenders.”

They added: “The Mayor’s £1.26bn funding from City Hall has placed a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing, doubling the number of officers in the West End, and an extra 90 officers are now in hotspot areas across the capital, tackling antisocial behaviour, thefts, phone robbery and shoplifting.

“But we know there is more to do, and the Mayor will continue working with the Met to tackle this issue, as we build a safer London for everyone.”

The Mayor is understood to be meeting M&S in the coming days to discuss the retailer’s concerns.

Sarah Jones, the crime and policing minister, said: “We’re giving police stronger powers, ending the immunity for thefts worth under £200 so that shoplifters can be prosecuted.

“We urge the police to use all tools at their disposal to maintain order, protect workers and punish those responsible.”

Time’s up – we must tackle shoplifting as an urgent priority
Comment by Thinus Keeve, retail director at M&S

I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London – something none of us believes, and very few people working in retail would see. In fact, we see the absolute opposite in our high streets and in our stores, where our colleagues are on the receiving end of abuse and violence in their workplace every day.

It is becoming more brazen, more organised and more aggressive.

Across the UK, there were around 5.5 million incidents of shoplifting last year, and that excludes the vast number that go unreported. Every day, more than 1,600 retail workers face violence or abuse. This is not isolated. It is systemic and getting worse, not better.

And behind every statistic is a colleague who is simply trying to do their job and serve their customers.

As retail director at Marks & Spencer, I see this reality every day. I see the hurt and listen to the concerns of colleagues and customers after a shop attack.

In the past week alone, we have had gangs forcing open locked cabinets and stripping shelves, two men brazenly emptying the shelves of steak and walking out, a large group of young people ransacking a store before assaulting a security guard, a colleague was headbutted while trying to defuse a situation, and another was taken to hospital after having ammonia thrown in their face.

It is worse in London, but it is happening across the country, and it is becoming routine because it seems there are no consequences.

Our colleagues come to work to serve customers, build relationships and take pride in what they do. Instead, too many are dealing with theft, intimidation and verbal and physical abuse as part of their daily reality. That erodes confidence. It impacts well-being, and it drives people out of the industry.

And that matters beyond retail.

Retail is where many people in the UK start their working lives. It is where confidence is built, skills are learned, and careers begin. When stores become unsafe, we are not just failing retail workers – we are failing the next generation of the workforce.

The industry is not standing still. Retailers have invested billions in security, technology and loss prevention. At Marks & Spencer, we’ve invested more in the last year than ever before – tens of millions to protect our stores, our stock, and, most importantly, our people. We’re using tools like Auror, a crime-fighting partnership that helps us identify repeat offenders and work more effectively with police forces.

But investment alone is not enough, and the level of crime we face in so many communities is not something retailers can solve on their own. We put in cameras, guards and systems, but it does not stop colleagues from being abused or stores from being damaged.

Without a Government seriously cracking down on crime and a Mayor who prioritises effective policing, we are powerless. We need a stronger, faster and more consistent police response, using tools that already exist to target repeat offenders and crime hotspots.

And we need far greater transparency on crime so the true scale and impact are understood and can be used to target resources.

That’s why Stuart Machin, our chief executive, has written to the Home Secretary, and I’ve written to the Mayor of London, calling for exactly this.

It’s a clear ask: support our police. Help them show up in our communities when and where we need them. Give them the resources they need to tackle crime effectively, and ensure they work with retailers to consistently use the tools we’ve developed to share data and actively target offenders.

This is not complicated. The capability exists. The data exist. The investment has been made. Time is up. We need to deal with this now.

Because every day this continues, colleagues are being verbally abused, threatened or worse. Every day, confidence in our high streets is being chipped away, and this has to stop.

Retail is a cornerstone of the UK economy and a vital part of every community. But more than that, it is a human business. It depends on people feeling safe coming to work and safe walking into stores.

That is now under threat, more than I have ever seen in decades of working in retail around the world.

We need to recognise this for what it is. A systemic issue. A growing issue. And one that demands a coordinated response across Government, policing and industry.

Our colleagues deserve better.


The Telegraph


The was being made out to be more than it was according to some....seems that was incorrect