Shopowner angry over 'let offs'

Mr Lord says he has lost £30,000 in the past four years

A shop owner has criticised the law after claiming he caught 300 thieves - but saw only nine convicted.

Steve Lord, owner of Hill Shop and Videos in Stroud, fitted 12 CCTV cameras after losing £30,000 of goods.

Despite giving police pictures of shoplifters, Mr Lord says the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is reluctant to pursue cases.

A CPS spokeswoman said she could not comment on individual cases but added: "Where there is evidence we prosecute."

Mr Lord said: "Unfortunately the CPS deem it, in many cases, to not be in the public interest to prosecute these people."

Gloucestershire Police say they have records of 60 incidents at the store over the past four years.

Mr Lord said; "We upgraded the system to such a standard that we take photo-quality digital pictures and we hand this over to the police whenever we have got a case.

"We were getting three or four a day to start with."

A police statement said: "We have received a number of complaints from this store in the past four years.

"Where evidence exists that a theft has taken place, and the offender is identifiable, we will always seek to make an arrest.

"However, the final decision to prosecute ultimately rests with the Crown Prosecution Service."