A SHOPKEEPER has spoken out after being plagued by thieves who help themselves to his stock.

Mark Buttress, owner of Jay Bee's Convenience Store, in the Kings Furlong Centre, is fed up with having to deal with schoolchildren and young adults who steal from his shop.

He is also concerned that this sort of petty crime is being overlooked by the courts and that repeat offenders are not being punished.

"I have people coming in and helping themselves all the time," he explained.

"Don't get me wrong, the police always come when I call but they can only do so much. It's the next step that bothers me - I don't often hear of the offenders being punished properly.

"I was actually given a court date for one young man but then I was told the case wasn't being pursued because the man was already facing similar charges."

Mr Buttress said he has kids and young people coming into the shop all the time thinking they can just do what they want, and he told The Gazette that he has stock stolen at least once every week.

"I have kids and young blokes in here all the time stealing stuff and they know that I can't do anything," said Mr Buttress. "Even if I chase them, they say you can't touch me'.

"It's just an extension of the anti-social behaviour we see outside shops like mine, where gangs hang around. And it needs to be stopped."

Mr Buttress claims that this nuisance behaviour and low-level crime is an ongoing problem, especially for small independent shops like his.

He said he does have CCTV in the shop and has a rule about only letting in two schoolchildren at a time, but nothing seems to stop people "chancing their luck".

Kate Sussex, press officer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "As with all our cases, the crown prosecutor reviews each case in accordance with the Crown Prosecutors Code and any decision either to proceed or not to proceed will be made based on that code."

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