The retailers fighting shoplifting one social media post at a time

Disposable barbeques worth £120 gone in seconds. Piles of chocolate bars grabbed. A small child in a balaclava, fleeing with fruit.

As Erdogan Yigitoglu scrolls through his videos, he points out some of the most shocking examples of shoplifting he has captured on his CCTV, some of which he has posted online.

For six years, the Bournemouth convenience shop owner has seen social media as his most effective weapon in his fight against shoplifters, an issue he says loses him thousands of pounds every year.

Yigitoglu has run his shop for 19 years, and he credits publicly shaming and banning shoplifters for a reduction in crime over the past few years.

"Shoplifters damage the business, the environment, country," he says.

"They're stealing from your pocket, my pocket, everybody's pocket.

"If I [do] not sell this item, I can't pay the tax."

He estimates that 40-50% of the people who he says are shoplifting in his posted videos return to pay for the items. Many now avoid his shop entirely, he adds.

He says he only posts when its clear-cut, obvious theft.

Customers support his approach. One young shopper enthusiastically tells Yigitoglu he "liked" the video he had posted the night before.

They are popular too, with the social media posts occasionally getting hundreds of thousands or even millions of views.

Yigitoglu says he understands the impact his videos can have and that some shoplifters have told him the clips have been seen by their workplaces.

He says he will remove a video if he feels the person is truly apologetic and offers a "good excuse".

But his message to shoplifters is clear: "We're always watching, recording and we're always sharing."

Gareth Kimbrey, who runs Setley Ridge Farm Shop in Hampshire, also turned to social media when his shop was targeted.

In April this year, about £400 worth of steak was stolen from his New Forest store.

He posted pictures of the CCTV - which shows two women walking out the back door with armfuls of meat, straight into a getaway car - on the shop's social media accounts and says the video got a "huge response".

He says local people identified the suspects, allowing him to pass on their names and addresses to police.

Kimbrey adds: "I know possibly some people say it's wrong, that we shouldn't put their faces up. But at the end of the day, it isn't a victimless crime.

"If it gets people caught, then it's a really good thing to do."

Two women are due to appear at Southampton Magistrates' Court later this year to face shoplifting charges related to the Setley Ridge incident.

The case is in the minority, as official data shows that only one in five shoplifting offences in 2025-26 led to a charge or summons, and the British Retail Consortium says it remains an under-reported crime.

Yigitoglu says he used to report incidents to the police, but now thinks his time is better spent uploading the videos.

Dorset Police says it has introduced new systems that have simplified the reporting of shoplifting and sped up investigations.

It says where stores support police action, its positive outcome rate is more than double the national average.

The force encourages all retailers to use the online reporting system so it can build cases against prolific offenders.

Policing Minister Sarah Jones says shoplifting was a "pernicious crime that for too long has gone unpunished".

"They need to know that they are going to be punished for what they have done," she adds.

The government says it is exploring other avenues of tackling prolific shoplifting - in addition to prison sentences and drug treatment - such as technology or court orders preventing offenders from visiting certain shops or areas.