"Million consider Christmas shoplifting" in the UK

I came across this article on the co.uk yahoo site this morning, and it made me stop and think.

Almost a million Britons admit they would consider shoplifting presents this Christmas.

Figures also show there has been a 30 per cent surge in the number of thefts from shops over the last year.

Cambridgeshire police chief Julie Spence has warned that the financial strain of Christmas could tempt families to steal gifts for their children.

In a podcast on her force website, she said: "The pressures of buying presents are greater than ever. Trying to explain to children at Christmas that the present they most wanted won't be arriving is difficult.

"Some are also tempted to try to get for nothing what would otherwise cost them a lot of money. They try shoplifting. You may have seen the headlines saying it's on the increase.

"The other name for it is stealing. No matter how sympathetic some shop owners may be - or even police officers called to make an arrest - the fact is that a crime has been committed."

She added: "The penalty, quite rightly, is an appearance before the courts and often a heavy fine. Whatever happens, it will cost you far more than you stole."

Police in Cambridgeshire said they had noted an increase in first-time offenders in cases of shoplifting this year as the financial gloom grows.