'It's kids, women... everybody's doing it': The town where shoplifters are ruining lives

Suleiman Hekimi points towards the huge CCTV monitor above him, eyes covering every corner of his beauty supply shop.

“We’ve installed cameras but they don’t even care,” he says in a defeated voice. “Honestly, it doesn’t deter them.

“They know there’s nothing the shopkeeper can do. They know they can get away with it.”

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Suleiman has been dealing with shoplifters for years. The 45-year-old, who owns Diva in Bolton, catches people stealing from him multiple times a week.

But in reality, he believes it’s happening every day.

“Those are the ones we know,” he adds. “Those are the ones we notice and we’re aware of.

“But then something goes missing and you check the cameras.”

Shoplifting is rife in Bolton town centre. Issues including thefts, burglaries, robberies and anti-social behaviour have forced GMP to deploy a new high street squad in a bid to tackle the crimes.

From increasing patrols and discussing tips with stores, the force has recently made numerous arrests, charges, fines and orders.

But Suleiman, who has owned Diva for seven years, estimates his store is still being targeted at least four times a week – with swiped items ranging from lip glosses to £100 hair extensions.

The shop owner has also noticed an alarming trend in recent years. Products that become popular on TikTok are always his most stolen items – and shockingly, it’s mostly schoolchildren raiding the shelves, he says.

“Whatever has blown up on TikTok are the things that schoolchildren steal,” Suleiman continues.

“The other day, rosemary oil was popular on TikTok and all the schoolchildren were nicking it.

“The oil is £10 each, so if