At first glance, Bath seems a picture-perfect visage of golden Georgian architecture and quirky independent shops with a rich cultural history to boot.
It is the only UK city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its Roman Baths, once one of the great religious spas of the ancient world, are now a popular tourist attraction. Its Christmas market is also often named the best in the country.
But a murkier reality lies beneath the city’s glossy exterior – its growing status as a shoplifting capital, with a shocking rise of 83% in the 12 months to September putting it on a worse year-on-year trajectory than anywhere else in the country.
In that timespan, 138.6 offences were recorded per 10,000 people, making it the eighth worst place in the UK for the office. It was enough to spur Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse to ask the Crime Minister for a bigger police presence to ensure “my shopkeepers feel safe”. But what is behind the rapid and surprising surge?
Allison Herbert, CEO of Bath’s Business Improvement District (BID) credits the epidemic to the “broader challenges of substance abuse and organised crime”.
“Amongst the rising issue of crime on the nation’s high streets, Bath’s reputation as an attractive city to visit, with its World Heritage City status, history, culture, shops and world-class sport, makes it a target for such incidents,” she told Express.co.uk.
“In the last 12 months, Bath BID has been working proactively with local businesses to combat the issues of crime and antisocial behaviour in the city centre, whilst also working closely with Avon and Somerset Police.”
The problem, which has been described as “out of control” by West of England Mayor Dan Norris, shows no signs of abating. In October, police charged a 21-year-old man with seven theft offences including of a bicycle, tobbacco and vapes and a 45-year-old for entering the staff-only area of a shop to steal products totalling £300 in value.
Speaking in January, Mr Norris said shopkeepers that stood firm in the face of lawbreakers would be forced to increase their prices to make up for the lost goods – “making this frightening cost-of-living crisis worse for all”.
The epidemic could escalate as tourists flock to the city to enjoy its world-famous Christmas market next month, with businesses offering festive food, drink and live entertainment from the pretty chalet huts likely to be more on their guard than usual following the worrying statistics.
One shopkeeper already at the end of their tether is Rahul Sharma, 34, director of Ganesha Handicraft and Jewellery in The Corridor. Mr Sharma, whose store has been broken into three times, said he was losing the “time and effort” involved in sourcing stolen jewellery as well as making a financial loss.
“Sometimes I feel like shutting up shop because of the stress that comes with it,” he told MailOnline. “Sometimes I’m losing money rather than making it, and wonder what’s the point. But it’s a passion. Everybody loves the shop and it’s a well-known place to get Christmas presents.”
Initiatives are in place to tackle the rise in local shoplifting offences including 160 businesses being connected via Citylink radio system to City Marshals who are on hand seven days a week to deal with theft and antisocial behaviour incidents.
