WATCH: Brazen shoplifters plague Portsmouth retailers daily - worker threatened with needle

The stark situation has even led to a staff member being threatened with having a drug addict’s needle injected into their throat by a shoplifter before the worker was forced to back away and let the thief waltz out the shop with the goods.

Meanwhile staff from other nearby shops told The News they are routinely targeted as thieves help themselves to items with little fear of the consequences. Greggs, the bakery chain, is a popular choice for criminals wanting a bite to eat, while Vape ‘N Beans was in The News in January after a pack of teenagers mocked a staff member while cherry picking £500 worth of vapes.

The shocking incidents come as The News joins a Silent Crime campaign to shine a light on an epidemic of violence, theft and anti-social behaviour. We are calling for the voices of victims to be heard.

However, there is good news for retailers in Commercial Road which are hitting back via Portsmouth Eye, a network of CCTV cameras and communication tools to help businesses and authorities connect and identify troublesome individuals. One of those who was recently caught through the scheme gave an insight into just how out of control shoplifting has become. When the thief was captured he was left enraged and said: “I can’t even shoplift in my own city anymore.”

The Works, a discount retailer, is among the worst hit according to locals - with staff at the shop doing their best but admitting there is only so much they can do. “They are brazen, they just don’t care. We don’t have any powers to stop them,” Ms Masland said of the daily shoplifters.

“Things are especially bad in the run up to Christmas. It was awful last year. (Shoplifting) was every single day. It can be hundreds of pounds worth of goods, we get high value items. They come straight in and straight out.

“The police have been brilliant, a couple of shoplifters have been to court already. We know the people involved. It’s always the same people. It’s targeted. They are banned from the shop and precinct but they still come back.”

She added: “I don't think you're ever going to stop it here. There are too many people with too many problems. We have the radio and the names are all known. We report it as often as we can.

“We can’t see everything…there’s probably loads that get stolen but whenever we do see it and we catch them we report it.

“We’ve definitely noticed a difference since we’ve been on the (Portsmouth Eye) scheme. It has stopped a lot of our regulars from coming back. It’s definitely working.”

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