The public have been told by a police chief they should stand up to shoplifters themselves and not rely on bobbies on the beat for help.
Matthew Barber, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley said tackling thieves was not just a job for police and criticised onlookers for simply filming instances of crime.
Mr Barber criticised the public for being 'part of the problem' and encouraged shop owners to to deal with thieves themselves.
At a meeting of the Thames Valley police and crime panel in June, the PCC said: 'If you’ve got someone in your store now stealing from you, call 999.
'Also ideally try and stop them leaving, don’t just stand there and watch, which a lot of people do, which frustrates me.'
