A woman suspected of repeatedly shoplifting from Marks & Spencer (M&S) in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, was apprehended by police after attempting to flee in her car. Andrea Berquez, 41, was spotted stealing an item from the fruit and vegetable section of the store by a plainclothes officer who pursued her on foot into the car park. Berquez got into an Audi TT sports car and drove away despite the officer's efforts to stop her.

The officer continued the pursuit and caught up with her at a set of traffic lights, where she once again accelerated away as the officer banged on the rear window. Berquez was eventually located by additional patrolling officers in a nearby village. After a chase, police forced her to stop and arrested her after repeated commands to exit the vehicle, which took place on a residential driveway in an area where homes have average values around £650,000.

At Maidstone Magistrates’ Court last month, Berquez pleaded guilty to five counts of theft that occurred between April 25 and May 15. She received a two-year conditional discharge.

This incident underscores ongoing concerns about theft and anti-social behavior in retail environments. Earlier this year, M&S’s retail director Thinus Keeve highlighted the challenges faced by frontline staff, noting rising incidents of violence and abuse. Keeve called on government authorities and London’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, to take stronger measures against escalating crime. His comments followed disturbances at an M&S store in Clapham, south London, where large groups of youths, influenced by an online trend, reportedly swarmed high street shops.

In response to similar challenges, chain coffee shop Costa Coffee has employed security personnel at approximately ten locations experiencing frequent theft to deter losses of products such as food and beverages.

Lucy Whing, crime policy lead at the British Retail Consortium, emphasized the broader impact of retail crime, noting that it ultimately increases prices for customers. Whing welcomed the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, which aims to enhance legal responses to offenses including establishing assaulting retail workers as a standalone crime and removing the £200 threshold for theft investigations. She also stressed the importance of police responding promptly to every reported incident to send a clear message that retail crime will not be tolerated.