Kemi Badenoch has said she would tackle a shoplifter – as long as they weren’t ‘too big’.
The Tory leader criticised members of the public who failed to intervene, letting criminals ‘think they can get away with it’.
She said her instinct would be to confront a thief if she thought there was no personal risk to her, adding that others should not ‘look away’.
‘I think it depends on how big they are,’ she told Times Radio.
‘But yes, broadly, it would be my instinct. I think people should look after their personal safety. I think those people who are stronger should do more.’
Mrs Badenoch highlighted the problem during a speech launching the Conservative Party‘s local election campaign on Thursday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she would tackle a shoplifter – as long as they weren’t ‘too big’
She said she had recently been to Lucinda’s, a boutique in south London where she had been told that people were ‘coming in and stealing entire racks of clothes’.
‘Brazenly, walking in empty-handed, trying to walk out with armfuls of her stock,’ she said.
‘Sometimes she’s able to stop them, sometimes. Other times she watches thieves disappearing out of the door with her staff’s wages, because that’s what they are.’
Mrs Badenoch added: ‘I know that there is now a tendency for people not to put themselves in harm’s way.
‘But I also think that sometimes we need to send a message that this is not acceptable. People will do things if they think that they can get away with it.’
