‘I’d steal 10-15 times a day’: ex-offenders on the addictions driving prolific shoplifting

Former shoplifters say treatment and drug rehabilitation are essential to ending cycle of theft and imprisonment

When Rhys, 34, stole goods from shops across Birmingham, he would often leave notes for the staff apologising for his actions.

“I’d feel that guilty about it. I’d pass them notes, saying I’m so sorry about this,” he said. “But in the end, I was just that numb to it, and fearless as well. I’d walk in with a suitcase and ram everything into it, and not think twice about it.”

Rhys was in the grips of drug addiction and turned to shoplifting to fund his habit. He had struggled with drug use since he was a teenager and then, in 2019, he took crack cocaine for the first time.