Thames Valley Police & crime commissioner slammed for 'irresponsible' comments
Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds says suggestions that the public should step in and prevent shoplifting are 'dangerous'
Last updated 15th Aug 2025
A row has broken out about claims the Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber suggested that the public should stand up to shoplifters.
Liberal Democrat MP for Maidenhead Joshua Reynolds said:
"With all due respect to the Police and Crime Commissioner, asking shop staff or bystanders to ‘challenge’ criminals is not only irresponsible, it’s dangerous.”
"Having previously worked in supermarkets, I have personally experienced the threat of violence from shoplifters. It is wholly unreasonable - and frankly irresponsible - to imply that any individual should put themselves at risk in such circumstances."
"The job of tackling crime on our highstreets should not fall to shopworkers or people doing their weekly shop, it falls to the police. And if they’re not there in sufficient numbers, that’s something for the Commissioner to fix, not deflect."
"The public has every right to expect safety in their communities. That safety comes from visible, proactive policing and not from moral lectures aimed at shop workers and citizens who are just trying to go about their daily lives."
"If the Commissioner wants to see more people stepping in, then he needs to start by showing that the police will be there to back them up - not by putting them in harms way."
Response
PCC, Matthew Barber said: “I believe in social responsibility and in people being engaged in their communities to help keep them safe. People should not turn a blind eye to crime and post about it on social media instead of reporting and assisting the police with information and evidence.
“I have made tackling shoplifting a priority for Thames Valley Police and that has resulted in more criminals being charged, more patrols being visible, easier sharing of evidence from stores, more support for retailers and a focus on the most prolific offenders. As I said in my original comments in June, I am not expecting everyone to be rugby tackling criminals to the ground. I am also not expecting people to put themselves in harm’s way, but this is about being aware and as a minimum reporting shoplifting to the police.
“I encourage retailers, shop workers and the shoppers to report crime so the police can act. It’s their job to investigate and fight crime, including shoplifting. But we can all play a part in building a safer community – at the very least reporting crime we see, rather than accepting it.”