The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has urged shops to do more to help officers bring shoplifters to justice—claiming some security staff are actively working with criminal gangs.

Sir Mark Rowley said there was evidence of store employees tipping off thieves about when it was safe to strike, while other retailers refused to hand over CCTV footage or photos of criminals caught red-handed.

He alleged some stores would not allow staff time off to attend court or provide statements to police. In the year to June, retail crime surged by 13 per cent, reaching 529,994 recorded offences, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium estimated there were 20 million cases of shoplifting —meaning less than three per cent of thefts were being reporte

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