SHOP OF HORRORS

Staff dealing with a 'pandemic of petty crime and aggression

RETAIL workers are being subjected to "out of control" levels of abuse while petty shoplifting costs one business owner up to €80,000 a year.

Shane Gleeson, who runs five Spar shops in Limerick, said customers regularly threaten to kill him and said his son was even held at knifepoint.

He said: "I've had a bottle of wine broken and been threatened with the broken glass. I've had guys with needles. My son was threatened with a knife.

"We've noticed since Covid a very small element of society has gotten far more aggressive, and it is difficult to deal with.

"Routinely, they'll say, 'I will wait for you outside'. 'We'll get you when you go home', 'I will kill you, I'll burn you out".

Shane said shoplifting had become so bad that they've stopped reporting all the incidents to the Garda.