We lock shop doors during opening hours after theft

A shop owner has described how she locks her door during opening hours and customers have to ring the bell to get in after her store was targeted by thieves last year. Paige Mengers, who runs a designer boutique in Surrey, has been speaking about the impact of shoplifting, with recorded offences remaining above pre-pandemic levels. Home Office figures show there were 42,674 shoplifting offences across Kent, Surrey and Sussex in 2025/26 compared with 28,048 cases in 2019/20. The government said overall offences in England and Wales fell 4% last year, with more suspects being charged. Mengers, who has stores in Cobham and south-west London, said she boosted security after a raid in January 2025 involving men with wire cutters.