The woman dubbed Britain’s worst shoplifter has been arrested over 400 times, it has been revealed, as one senior police officer warns some thieves now feel they can “rob shops with impunity”, with alarming figures showing a marked spike in such crimes.
Tanya Liddle, 43, from Newcastle, has amassed 172 convictions, over 400 arrests, and more than 350 separate crimes. Despite a two-year ban from virtually every store in the region, few believe the order will deter somebody who has been described as a “one-woman crimewave”. Notorious for disguising herself in wigs, oversized coats, and sunglasses, she still remains instantly recognisable to weary shop staff.
There are even suggestions that she has flaunted her tactics on TikTok, offering followers advice on how to steal.
The Sunday Times has reported that she has been jailed on two occasions, but only served half the time in both instances, and also avoided fines due to a lack of means, with her victims repeatedly saying she is not “properly punished”.
Shoplifting hit a record high in 2024, with the number of offences surpassing 500,000 for the first time, up 20% from 2023.
Writing in The Telegraph on Saturday, Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “What on Earth has happened to our high streets and our city centres?
“Why do some people feel they can rob shops with impunity and abuse and assault staff without any fear of retribution?”
Sussex will soon see “the first electronic tagging scheme for persistent shoplifters”, said Ms Bourne, who is also the county’s police and crime commissioner.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday, Yeovil-based business owner Samantha Baker said: “I would say that it is getting increasingly worse with shoplifting and thefts and things they know they’re untouchable, so they seem to be doing it more and more and more.
“I had an incident last year when somebody came in. It was later in the afternoon, she proceeded to shoplift.
“I went back through the CCTV to ensure that I was 100% certain that she had which I was by that point, but she was wearing a name tag that I could quite clearly see and read. This led me to find out who she was, where she works. I found her on Facebook, reported it all to the police, gave her identity to the police, everything.
“They then told me, apparently, it wasn’t enough identification to do anything whilst this was all going on. She re-attempted. We caught her in the act. I got advised to ring 999, because it was a crime in progress, and they literally would not come out. They just said no, just report it afterwards.”
Ms Baker said she had confronted people on a couple of occasions, adding: “It’s really, really scary to do, but I know that’s the only way I might get it back.
“The police should be doing something. It’s their job. It’s what I pay in my taxes for.”
Jon Cummins, Assistant Chief Constable from Avon and Somerset Police, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that wider societal issues, including poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and addiction, are contributing to the shoplifting spike.
He said on Saturday: “If they see somebody shoplifting, my advice to them is they must call us … not to intervene.
“We clearly want to be attending and will be attending reports.”