Chiswick Councillor Gives Crime Warning After Confronting 'Shoplifter'

Ron Mushiso says that underreporting frustrates efforts to tackle the problem

The alleged thief with multiple boxes of pizza. Picture: Ron Mushiso

A Chiswick councillor has called on residents and shoppers to report shoplifting incidents after confronting a man he believed had committed theft. Cllr Ron Mushiso warned that underreporting of crime is allowing repeat offenders to operate with impunity and placing growing pressure on local businesses.

Cllr Mushiso, who represents the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward, said he witnessed and filmed a man stealing multiple boxes of pizza and other food items from a Marks & Spencer store at a petrol station in Hounslow on the evening of Wednesday 21 January. The councillor reported the incident to police and shared footage of alleged thief on social media in an effort to highlight the scale of the problem.

According to industry estimates, only around one in ten shoplifting incidents is ever reported. Cllr Mushiso said many offences go unrecorded because shop staff are overstretched, demoralised, or feel that little action will be taken. However, he warned that when incidents are not reported, police lack the evidence needed to identify patterns and target offenders.

Official figures show more than 3,000 shoplifting incidents were recorded in the London Borough of Hounslow in the year to October 2025. If only a fraction of offences is reported, the true number could be significantly higher. “This is not petty crime at the margins,” Cllr Mushiso said. “It is a systemic problem affecting local businesses, staff, and ultimately shoppers through higher prices.”

Much of Chiswick High Road falls within the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward, which Cllr Mushiso represents alongside Cllr Joanna Biddolph. He said retailers in the area frequently report seeing the same repeat offenders, often already known to store security, but that inconsistent reporting makes it harder for police to build a clear picture. However, when persistent offenders are identified the police have taken action to deal with them including obtaining court orders banning them from the Chiswick area.

Cllr Mushiso urged residents to become “upstanders rather than bystanders”, drawing on the principles of Sir Robert Peel, founder of modern policing, who emphasised public cooperation as essential to effective law enforcement. He said reporting crime should not be confused with vigilantism, but seen as a lawful way of refusing to allow criminal behaviour to become normalised.

He also challenged the use of terms such as “low-level” or “petty” theft, arguing that such language can lead to inaction. “The aim is not to prosecute every theft,” he said, “but to build evidence to tackle repeat offenders who are exploiting our tolerant society.”

Residents and shoppers are encouraged to report incidents using the Metropolitan Police website. Even small reports, Cllr Mushiso said, can help police deploy resources more effectively.

While acknowledging inequalities within the borough, Cllr Mushiso stressed that poverty should not be used to justify criminal behaviour. He highlighted Hounslow’s strong network of food banks, soup kitchens, churches and other places of worship as examples of how hardship should be addressed with compassion rather than crime.

“There is an old saying: what you are willing to tolerate, you are willing to accept,” he said. “I do not believe Chiswick or Hounslow is willing to accept rising shoplifting as the new normal. The solution starts with something simple but powerful: be an upstander.”

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