IMAGES of known shoplifters must be shared on WhatsApp in order to protect staff, a supermarket boss has demanded.

Iceland’s executive chairman Richard Walker yesterday blasted “bonkers” data protection laws that prevent him from doing so to safeguard violent offenders’ “human rights”.

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He also slammed the “ridiculous” £200 theft limit introduced by the Tories in 2014, which treats thefts under this amount as “low value” and lets offenders off with a slap on the wrist via post.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the limit as well as making assaults on shop workers a specific criminal offence in a new crime bill.

Urging the new Government to get cracking, Mr Walker told the BBC: “We talk about workers’ rights… how about the right not to be assaulted at work?

“So making assault on shop workers a stand alone offence, getting rid of this ridiculous £200 limit, which basically gives a free card to shoplifters to nick what they want.

“And more police resourcing because they are not responding at the moment as they should do.”

He went on: “I’d also like to throw the gauntlet down to the Information Commissioner because to protect the human rights of known violent offenders I am not allowed to share on WhatsApp groups images of known shop lifters, which is bonkers.

“So I think there’s many things the Government can do and clear up that will help my customers, my colleagues in the day-to-day life, just go about their business.”

Shoplifting hit a 20-year high in the year to March 2024, with 443,995 offences recorded by police in England and Wales.

This is a third higher than in the same period in 2014, when 326,440 offences were recorded but led to significantly higher numbers being punished.