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Business owners in Britain’s shoplifting capital have spoken of their daily war against brazen thieves.
The crime has become so prolific in Teesside that some shopkeepers are desperate to sell up for good.
Recent data for shoplifting singles out the Cleveland Police force area as the worst in the country, which comes as no surprise to business owners in its main towns.
CCTV handed to MailOnline shows very young kids swiping vapes from behind the counter and a woman attempting to steal a pair of headphones.
Parvez Akhtar has run Fix a Fone in Middlesbrough since 2017 and has installed razor wire across his counter to deter thieves in the night.
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