Shoplifting rates are doubling leading to members of the public and staff taking matters into their own hands. High street outlets - like Iceland, Superdrug and Boots - have been adopting their own secret tactics to curb the rise.

It comes after Lancashire Constabulary issued advice to local businesses, as part of Operation Value, urging them to position staff right at the entrance to say hello to shoplifters as they enter the premises to deter them. Another ploy utlised by workers is handing baskets to customers they feel are up to no good. While the police have made a damning admission that there's "no point" arresting the suspected thieves.

Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, told The Telegraph: "If prison is not an option - and I think it should be, but at the moment it clearly isn't as there are no places - then we've got to find credible alternatives.

"People have got to know that they're going to get caught, and that there's a meaningful deterrent when they do, there is no point arresting shoplifters if there is no effective deterrent."

She added offenders needed a "metaphorical punch on the nose", with "robust police intervention followed swiftly by meaningful criminal justice measures that deter and prevent them from re-offending".

In 2024, shoplifting hit a record high, with the number of offences surpassing 500,000 for the first time, up 20% from 2023.

Staff in Iceland have been resorting to tactics like locking suspects inside their stores to stop them from leaving with bags full of produce.

While beauty chain Superdrug have launched a campaign, warning shopflifters they are being constantly watched. One clip on social media shows sales assistants in Stourport, outside Worcester, pointing to their headsets and body worn cameras to alert potential thieves they are being monitored, enabling staff to communicate with one another.

Boots has followed suit, taking to TikTok to unveil its Stop, Think, Don't Shoplift initiative. The minute-long video shows a staff member in Durham posing as a shoplifter, pretending to steal items while colleagues show how they'd tackle it.

They also showed off their rotating hooks which is said to stop the pesky thieves, as well as security tags and plastic packaging that is incredibly difficult to remove.

It doesn't end there. The pharamacy has implemented a rule of three of each item in an attempt to make it more difficult for shoplifters to take entire shelves with them.