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New York City has led the US with the sharpest increase in the number of reported shoplifting incidents since before the pandemic, according to a study.

The Big Apple saw a 64% increase in reported incidents of retail theft during the four-year period between mid-2019 and June of this year, while Los Angeles experienced a 61% surge in the same metric, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.

Despite the spike in reported shoplifting incidents, New York City saw an 8% decrease in the first half of 2023, according to the study.

A New York Police Department spokesperson pointed to crime statistics showing that there were more than 93,000 incidents of petty larceny so far this year — which is 29% higher compared to the same period two years ago but 5% lower compared to the same period last year.

LA, meanwhile, saw a 109% increase in reported retail theft incidents in the first six months of this year — the highest in the country, the report found.

Dallas was second with a 73% bump in the number of reported shoplifting incidents in the first half of 2023.

Virginia Beach, Dallas, Raleigh, Boston, and Pittsburgh are the other cities that saw a spike in the number of shoplifting incidents that were reported over the course of the last four years — although their gains were well short of those in New York and LA, the report found.

The analysis was put together using data gleaned from law enforcement agencies or city websites as well as statistics from the National Incident-Based Reporting System.

The analysis, which examined shoplifting data in 24 cities where police publish data on retail theft, found that shoplifting reports were 16% higher — about 8,450 more incidents — during the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2019.

With New York excluded from the sample, however, the number of incidents among the study cities was 7% lower — about 2,550 fewer incidents.

A surge in shoplifting has forced retail locations nationwide to train security cameras on product shelves containing socks and men’s underwear while locking up items such as electric toothbrushes and razors in hopes of combating the surge in shoplifting.

The authors of the Council on Criminal Justice study caution that it is unclear what lies behind the trends, though “bail reform is one possible explanation.”

Another factor contributing to the increased reportage of shoplifting incidents is the change in the rate which retailers contact law enforcement.

Shoplifting, especially smash and grab episodes caught on video, has received extensive attention from the media and policymakers, and retailers have cited theft concerns in closing stores and placing goods in locked cases, said CCJ Research Specialist Ernesto Lopez, co-author of the report.

Far better data from law enforcement and the retail industry data is needed to help strengthen our grasp of shoplifting trends. For now, its unclear if the increase is a result of increased shoplifting, increased reporting from businesses to police, or a combination of both.

In 2019, New York State approved sweeping changes aimed at keeping defendants who cant afford bail from being disproportionately jailed.

But those changes have been tweaked twice before amid criticism that judges were being deprived of a tool they could use to hold people likely to commit new crimes.

In April, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that judges will have more discretion to jail people awaiting trial for alleged crimes — a policy change fiercely resisted by some of her fellow Democrats.

A recent report by the National Retail Federation, a trade group representing US retailers, said that chains had lost $112 billion due to a wave of organized theft rings in New York, San Francisco, LA, and Houston last year — up from $93.9 billion in 2021.

Target said earlier this year that it expects to suffer as much as a $1.3 billion hit to its bottom line because of theft and organized crime.”

The latest police statistics show that rates of burglary and grand larceny have fallen so far this year compared to the same period in 2022.

To date, burglary in the five boroughs has fallen 13.2% since the start of the year compared to the same period last year while grand larceny has dropped 3.3%.

Incidents of robbery have also decreased in number, according to the New York Police Department.

Since the start of the year, there have been a reported 14,159 incidents of robbery — down nearly 5% compared to the same period last year.

San Francisco and Seattle saw the two biggest drops in the number of retail theft incidents between January and June of this year, according to the research.

Analysts found there was a 35% decrease in the number of reported shoplifting incidents in the Bay Area, where several high-profile thefts were caught on camera.

Seattle, meanwhile, saw a 31% drop during the same period.

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Entertainment

Police take no further action over Bob Vylan’s London performance

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Police take no further action over Bob Vylan's London performance

Police will take no further action over alleged chants at a Bob Vylan concert in London.

Met Police had launched an investigation after allegations the singer, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, was heard in footage saying “death to the IDF (Israel Defence League)”.

The footage was filmed at a performance supporting Iggy Pop, 78, at Alexandra Palace in May.

In a video, Mr Robinson-Foster is also alleged to have said: “Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel.”

But the Met Police confirmed they are closing the investigation following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The Glastonbury performance led to a police investigation. Pic: PA
Image:
The Glastonbury performance led to a police investigation. Pic: PA

‘No further action will be taken’

A spokesperson for the force said: “On Wednesday 2 July, officers became aware of footage that appeared to have been filmed at Alexandra Palace in London on 28 May. An investigation was launched into the language used in the footage.

“Early investigative advice was sought from the Crown Prosecution Service who considered a number of potential offences but determined that, based on the information and material available, there would likely be insufficient evidence to take the case forward.

“As a result, officers have decided that no further action will be taken. We recognise the concerns that the footage caused, particularly among many in London’s Jewish communities.

“It emerged during a period where we have seen a concerning rise in antisemitic hate crime.

“We continue to work closely with community representatives to understand those concerns, to ensure the safety and security of Jewish Londoners and to provide reassurance moving forward.”

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It followed footage of Mr Robinson-Foster allegedly leading a chant of “death, death to the IDF” during a BBC live-streamed performance at Glastonbury Festival, in June earlier this year, leading to an investigation from Avon and Somerset Police.

A man, in his 30s, understood to be Mr Robinson-Foster, had voluntarily attended an interview on Monday in relation to the band’s Glastonbury performance, the force said.

Police added the individual was not arrested but an investigation is ongoing.

After the Glastonbury appearance, the group were dropped from a number of festivals.

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Politics

Thousands of NHS staff to be made redundant after funding agreed

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Thousands of NHS staff to be made redundant after funding agreed

Thousands of job cuts at the NHS will go ahead after the £1bn needed to fund the redundancies was approved by the Treasury.

The government had already announced its intention to slash the headcount across both NHS England and the Department of Health by around 18,000 administrative staff and managers, including on local health boards.

The move is designed to remove “unnecessary bureaucracy” and raise £1bn a year by the end of the parliament to improve services for patients by freeing up more cash for operations.

NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Treasury had been in talks over how to pay for the £1bn one-off bill for redundancies.

It is understood the Treasury has not granted additional funding for the departures over and above the NHS’s current cash settlement, but the NHS will be permitted to overspend its budget this year to pay for redundancies, recouping the costs further down the line.

‘Every penny will be spent wisely’

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to make further announcements regarding the health service in the budget on 26 November.

And addressing the NHS providers’ annual conference in Manchester today, Mr Streeting is expected to say the government will be “protecting investment in the NHS”.

He will add: “I want to reassure taxpayers that every penny they are being asked to pay will be spent wisely.

“Our investment to offer more services at evenings and weekends, arm staff with modern technology, and improving staff retention is working.

“At the same time, cuts to wasteful spending on things like recruitment agencies saw productivity grow by 2.4% in the most recent figures – we are getting better bang for our buck.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting during a visit to the NHS National Operations Centre in London earlier this year. Pic: PA
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting during a visit to the NHS National Operations Centre in London earlier this year. Pic: PA

Mr Streeting’s speech is due to be given just hours after he became entrenched in rumours of a possible coup attempt against Sir Keir Starmer, whose poll ratings have plummeted ahead of what’s set to be a tough budget.

Mr Streeting’s spokesperson was forced to deny he was doing anything other than concentrating on the health service.

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He is also expected on Wednesday to give NHS leaders the go-ahead for a 50% cut to headcounts in Integrated Care Boards, which plan health services for specific regions.

They have been tasked with transforming the NHS into a neighbourhood health service – as set down in the government’s long-term plans for the NHS.

Those include abolishing NHS England, which will be brought back into the health department within two years.

Watch Wes Streeting on Mornings With Ridge And Frost from 7am on Sky News.

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World

Chinese hackers are sabotaging key infrastructure in Australia, spy chief warns

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Chinese hackers are sabotaging key infrastructure in Australia, spy chief warns

Hackers working for the Chinese military and government have been probing Australia’s key infrastructure and telecoms network, warns spy chief.

Mike Burgess, director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, warned Australians could have their water and electricity supplies cut off as well as extensive banking trouble if hackers managed to cause widespread telecoms disruption.

“Foreign governments have elite teams investigating these possibilities right now,” Mr Burgess insisted.

However, China‘s foreign ministry accused Burgess’s statement of spreading false narratives.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

The warning demonstrates the difficulty faced by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese in trying to keep China close economically while trying to mitigate security concerns.

Burgess said espionage was estimated to have cost the country A$12.5bn (£6.2bn) last year, including billions in trade secrets and intellectual property.

In particular, he highlighted the activities of the Chinese hacking groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon.

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He highlighted how Salt Typhoon had previously penetrated US telecoms systems intending to disrupt operations and pre-position for potential sabotage.

How Chinese hackers compromised the US

In December, Washington said China had hacked dozens of countries and at least eight major US telecommunication companies, including: AT&T, Verizon and Lumen Technologies.

This resulted in officials in Beijing having access to the private texts and calls of a “large number” of Americans.

US officials later urged Americans to use encrypted messaging apps to minimise the chances of China intercepting their communications.

Senior White House official Anne Neuberger said authorities didn’t believe any classified communications had been compromised.

A senior US official said that China’s access was large enough to risk an “ongoing compromise”.

China rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack.

Burgess also warned that Australian companies could be crippled as trade competitors or that elections could be affected.

Chinese officials made complaints to the Australian government and private sector about ASIO whenever he spoke
publicly about China, Burgess said during a speech last week. “It won’t stop my resolve,” he said.

Not the first time alarms have been raised

Concerns were raised in Canberra in February after Chinese warships conducted live-fire drills with minimal warning in the Tasman Sea.

Australian authorities only heard about the drills when a commercial pilot for Virgin Australia notified Airservices Australia.

Chinese frigate Hengyang, one of three vessels involved in the circumnavigation of Australia. Pic: Australian Defense Force /AP
Image:
Chinese frigate Hengyang, one of three vessels involved in the circumnavigation of Australia. Pic: Australian Defense Force /AP

The drills resulted in 49 flights having to change their path.

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