LOCKED UP
Supermarkets’ security crackdown hits CHRISTMAS as Co-op locks up £5 chocolate gifts in boxes to deter shoplifters
Shocked shoppers expressed their fury at the security measure
BOXES of chocolates have been put in security cases in Co-op amid fears of a rise in festive thefts.
The Guylian the Original Seashells are on sale for £5.25 ahead of Christmas.
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The premium Belgian chocs were spotted locked in a clear, security box which would need to be opened by a member of staff on the tills.
It was spotted at the branch of Co-op in Ickenham, west London, on December 4.
One shocked shopper said: "I couldn't believe it when I spotted it. I've had them before
"They're a nice bit of chocolate so I can understand the attention they might get. But do they really need to be security tagged?
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"What confused me is there was a more expensive box of chocolates above the ones that were security tagged.
"They were left bare so the local shoplifters must love Belgian chocolates."
It comes following a spate of shoplifting cases as Brits struggle during the cost of living crisis.
Earlier this year lamb chops and beef steaks were also put in security boxes in Co-op in an attempt to deter thieves.
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The GPS-tracked plastic boxes contained sirloin steaks worth just £3.99 and lamb chops worth £6.
Rumps worth £4.75 could be found boxed up in the Co-op branch in Hornsea, near Bridlington, East Yorkshire.
Stark reality of life on high street once dubbed Britain’s ‘best’ - where shoplifters run riot and staff are attacked
The containers had labels on them that read: "Caution. Security device. Must be removed at checkout before leaving the store."
Customer Dylan John, 46, who was visiting the seaside town with his family, said: "Talk about a steak out.
"I've never seen anything as crazy as lamb chops being protected by GPS tracking.
"I can just imagine boffins at NASA sitting in front of a big screen showing the UK.
"And little dots moving around showing where the lamb cutlets are. It's bonkers."
The Sun has approached Co-op for a comment.
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Shoplifting in numbers - how thieves are crippling Britain
Startling crime figures lay bare the anarchic crime wave blighting the nation's high streets.
Police recorded 339,206 shoplifting incidents in the 12 months to March, yet the British Retail Consortium estimates the total number of retail thefts to be close to eight million.
Just 48,218 shoplifting cases recorded by the police, a derisory 14 per cent, resulted in a charge.
And 183,450 investigations — 54 per cent — were closed without a suspect being identified.
The BRC say retail theft rose by 26 per cent in England and Wales last year.
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