A major crime shake-up launched by the Labour Government could see 12,000 of Britain's most persistent shoplifters avoiding prison sentences, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
The Sentencing Act, which came into force last month, requires judges and magistrates to reserve custodial terms of under 12 months for "exceptional circumstances" only.
Under these guidelines, 98 per cent of currently imprisoned shoplifters would be eligible for community-based alternatives according to official statistics.
Retail theft cost an estimated £2billion last year, while more than 40 per cent of shop workers reported experiencing hostility or abuse in the past six months.
The seemingly rampant practice has led retail leaders to warn that thieves frequently operate "with impunity".
Marks & Spencer executives have written to London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this week.
They urged stronger action against record levels of shoplifting and warned that offenders have grown "more brazen, more organised and more aggressive" in their treatment of employees.
Jo Causon, who leads the Institute of Customer Service, representing 350 UK businesses, said there had been "no real engagement" from ministers on surging high-street crime, which she described as a serious threat to economic growth.
A major crime shake-up launched by the Labour Government could see 12,000 of Britain's most persistent shoplifters spared jail
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"We've got a workforce that is really frightened about going to work, which is not OK," she said.
As a result, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has condemned Labour’s reforms as "a shoplifters' charter," warning that retail theft would "snowball out of control."
"Even prolific shoplifters generally get less than a year in prison at the moment.
"So Labour's plan to abolish prison sentences of under a year means that shoplifters will never go to prison at all," The Croydon South MP told The Telegraph.
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Retail chiefs have warned that thieves have become 'more brazen, more organised and more aggressive'
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A Ministry of Justice spokesman defended the reforms, stating that the government had inherited a prison system "on the brink of collapse", adding that suspending short sentences was an urgent remedy to prevent future crises.
“It would be wrong to suggest every short sentence for shoplifting will be suspended, particularly in the case of reoffenders. However, evidence shows that community orders and suspended sentences act as a more successful deterrent to reoffending than prison time.
The spokesman insisted that the Government was delivering "one of the biggest expansions of tagging in British history" with £100million in funding.
It comes as shopkeepers across south London prepare for what they fear could be a chaotic weekend following days of disorder in the capital.
Last week, hordes of balaclava-clad young people stormed shops in Clapham
| SUBMITTEDIn the days previous, hordes of balaclava-clad young people stormed shops in Clapham as part of social media-organised gatherings known as "link-ups."
Reform UK's London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, a former crown prosecutor, rejected suggestions that crime was declining.
The Metropolitan Police has anticipated further unrest over the weekend and has informed local businesses that intensive patrols will be deployed in the area from midday onwards.
However, intelligence suggests that those coordinating the disturbances via Snapchat may relocate their activities to Crystal Palace to evade officers.