Shoplifting is one of the biggest problems for stores in the centre of Brighton and it's time tough action was taken.

It's easy for customers to think it doesn't really concern them and that the stores can easily bear the losses.

But the result of rampant shoplifting is that the rest of us all pay more for goods, in some cases as much as ten per cent.

Shoplifters can also make other people feel unsafe through the inevitable commotion when they are caught.

Now stores and the police are paying for crime tsar Terry Davies to cut shoplifting by 15 per cent during the first year of his job.

He will aim to achieve that through a series of measures including serving exclusion orders on persistent, professional thieves.

Some of these are drug takers and addicts who need cash to fuel their addictions. They are cunning and ruthless. They must be stopped.

Mr Davies has spent many years in shop management and knows how the mind of a professional thief works.

He should be able to achieve his aim of deterring these criminals and improving conditions for the rest of us.