Even the UK’s minister of crime was a victim of it.
Dame Diana Johnson, minister of state for policing, fire and crime prevention, had her purse snatched this week at a police conference where she was talking about an “epidemic of antisocial behavior, theft and shoplifting.”
The incident comes as police data indicates shoplifting in England is at a 20-year high while theft has increased significantly over the past year, according to The Independent.
A 56-year-old Coventry man was arrested for burglary in connection to the incident and released on bail. Police said they are continuing to investigate, the BBC reported.
Johnson was speaking at the annual Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) conference at the four-star Chesford Grange hotel in Kenilworth, about 20 miles southeast of Birmingham.
In her speech, she blamed the Conservative Party for the country’s crime problem and outlined plans to boost neighborhood policing.
Johnson, a far-left Labor Party member, said their mission “is to restore respect for the rule of law on British streets, including restoring respect for the police, which has sadly been eroded over many years.”
“Too many town centers and high streets across the country have been gripped by an epidemic of anti-social behavior, theft and shoplifting, which is corroding our communities and cannot be allowed to continue,” she added.
There were 443,995 reports of shoplifting between March 2023 and March 2024, a 30% increase from the year prior.
Thefts off the person increased by 17%, rising to 131,453 recorded crimes, The Independent reported.
Johnson took to X to express her thanks for the support following Tuesday’s incident.
“Becoming a victim of crime is distressing no matter who you are and support is available,” she said in a post.
Johnson, who has served as the minister since July, also said it was a “pleasure” to speak at the conference and said she is on a mission to tackle “serious crime.”
During the conference, Nick Smart, the president of the PSA, said inmates are being set released without proper plans and police would be left to deal with the consequences.
Earlier that day, 1,700 UK prisoners were set free from lockups under an early-release program aiming to reduce pressure on the system.
About 400 prisoners are expected to be let out from London prisons alone, according to reports.
With Post wires
