“We know what a better response looks like”: Revolving Doors responds to BBC shoplifting coverage
BBC Local has ‘put the spotlight on shoplifting’ with a day of coverage across its channels. In response, Revolving Doors Chief Executive Pavan Dhaliwal said:
“The BBC’s focus on shoplifting shows again that what we are doing now is not working. Our research with Newton found that around 30,000 people caught in the revolving door could account for more than 130,000 offences nationally. These are not thousands of unrelated incidents.
They are often the same people cycling repeatedly through crime, crisis and the justice system. We know that addiction, homelessness, poor mental health and poverty are often driving this repeat offending, and we also know what a better response looks like.
In Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands, there are already strong examples of agencies working together to address those root causes rather than simply waiting for the next offence. We need to learn from and scale approaches like these. If we keep processing the same people through arrest, court and prison without addressing what is driving their offending, we should not be surprised when they come back through the door again.”
