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 Met Engage app or 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.”
Click here to sign up for Met Engage if you haven’t already done so.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |