I was a shoplifter and an addict. Now I'm actually making a difference

An ex-offender who was a shoplifter for 30 years and a drug user for 23 is now helping the police to rehabilitate others. In 2022, James, 38, asked for help after realising he was "slowly killing himself" due to his addictions.

James had been surrounded by crime from a very early age as he would go out aged only five to burgle houses. He then started using Class A drugs from the age of 13, eventually becoming a heroin addict.

He said: "The drugs stopped doing what they were doing to me at first, which was to help me escape from reality. I then came to a point where I saw the effect they were having on me and everyone around me.

"I was coughing up blood on a daily basis, I was in a right state. I had this feeling that there was more to life and that I was slowly killing myself. I was getting suicidal thoughts and even attempted to commit suicide. I just wanted it out of me."

James, who was living in Birmingham when he decided to turn his life around, joined the Offender to Rehab Scheme in the West Midlands. He went to rehab for three months through the scheme, after which he moved to Nottingham to escape his past.

Here, he joined Nottinghamshire Police’s Offender to Rehabilitation programme, which offers "wraparound" support to individuals responsible for a disproportionate level of anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime, such as shoplifting and burglaries, within businesses and communities. The scheme is funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and city businesses.

It funds an initial 12-week placement at a rehabilitation centre and also provides therapy and support services to address a range of severe disadvantages such as trauma, housing, healthcare and education. Upon his move to Nottingham, James started meeting with business crime officer Joanna Baxter.

James said: "I wanted to give something back to these businesses because they paid for me to go to rehab so I was feeling like a bit of a charity case. So Jo and I came up with a presentation to give to businesses as part of the scheme.

"My friend used to tell me that no one will understand and everyone will judge me but that was a delusion. People are a lot more forgiving than I was giving them credit for. Their feedback has been helping me grow. It feels amazing.

"I love getting people ready for rehab. It's so rewarding when you see that little glimmer of hope in somebody and watch it grow. Then they start having their families back into their lives and everything changes."

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Angela Kandola explained that the scheme looks at the underlying issues of shoplifting, "helping to break the cycle of re-offending". Inspector Ollie Vale, Nottinghamshire Police's business and retail crime lead, added that simply arresting the offenders and sending them to jail isn't likely to help them long-term.

He said: "We have taken an approach of 'we're going to arrest our way out of it' but what we have seen is that we need to work in partnership. We found that we need to have a diversionary approach, we can't just arrest people.

"We will always arrest offenders and deal with them, so the scheme doesn't replace that. We identify our cohorts through the offending patterns and then engage with them in prison because we are finding that a lot of people don't receive the treatment they need in prison because they have complex needs.

"We don't want to take away from the impact retail crime has on victims, but we need to understand there's two sides to it. If you looked at an offender from a different scenario, you would realise they're a vulnerable person. We need to work with our partners to ensure we're dealing with people the right way."

Insp Vale explained that the partners of the scheme include the Nottinghamshire Recovery Network, Changing Futures and Clean Slate, as well as retail partners, probation and prison services and intelligence from the community. These partners also help the force identify the offenders who would benefit most from the scheme, which was initially launched in 2021.

Insp Vale also gave some tips on how to prevent shoplifting, including just greeting people entering shops. He said: "Businesses have to ensure that their most valuable stock isn't close to the shop's entry and exit.

"People need to be vigilant and make sure they report to us because we need to build that intelligence picture in order to target those who are causing the most harm in our communities. Having a presence in the store can also deter people.

"Just saying hello to people coming in can deter them from crime. People who have been through the scheme tell us that they don't want to steal from those treating them well."

He added: "We're really proud of the people who've gone through the scheme. The massive change that they've gone though and the impact it's had on their relationship with their families and communities is huge, it can't be understated."

James also highlighted the need for rehabilitation programmes within the prison system. He said: "It feels like it's designed to keep you in. People get out and then aren't pointed in the right direction. There needs to be more preparation for people when they are released.

"It would be more cost-effective to send an offender to rehab and help them long-term than to keep them in prison during that time. Rehab is harder than prison because you actually have to work on yourself."

He also explained that Offender to Rehabilitation scheme erases the stigma around addiction and ex-offenders, proving they can change. He said: "Everybody can change. I feel like I could do absolutely anything now and it's down to the support network that I have.

"I don't think I've met a person who is at a point where they can't turn things around. Reach out and ask for help. It's a lot harder to do it on your own than it is with support. You're worth it. There's more to life than slowly killing yourself."