The public should be doing more to stop shoplifting rather than just relying on the police, the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said.

>Matthew Barber said everyone had a "responsibility" to help if people wanted to live "in a safe, prosperous society" - but that would not necessarily involve physical intervention.

But Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds said he thought the call was potentially "irresponsible and dangerous" and could lead to people being put at risk.

>Barber said people needed to judge situations "based on what you see in front of you".

He added: "I am not laying down some rules on this. But I encourage people to do something.

>"If we want to live in a safe, prosperous society, we all have a responsibility. It's not just about some external agency coming in from outside.

"If you're in a store and you witness shoplifting happening I think at the very least you should report that to the police, report it to the staff, perhaps take some mobile phone footage, shout at someone 'put that back'.

>"Some people will feel able to physically intervene but I am not encouraging everybody to be rugby tackling offenders to the ground and put themselves at risk."

But Reynolds, a Liberal Democrat elected last year, said "expecting the public to do the job for the police is not the way round this should be".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn43j1m889eo