THE news that a serial offender had been given a suspended sentence and only banned from Co-op shops has let the public, police and shopworkers down.

This man committed 28 offences in a short period and should be banned from every shop in town.

He was seen drinking in the East Bay park two days ago.

The police will have had to do endless hours and days of paperwork on this one case hoping a serial offender will be taken off the streets, but, no, he gets a slap on the wrist and free to carry on, which as everyone knows he will do.

I feel for the police, they do all this work and the courts let them down, not just this case, but others as well.

They should be backed up by tougher sentencing by the courts, not let down time and again.

The same with shop workers, they take the brunt of working in a shop watching all the time for shoplifters, they have to approach the people and get a mouthful back.

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The courts have let them down as well, why should they bother reporting people when they get off all the time.

Crime pays now and thanks to all the cuts in police officers, probation workers, legal aid lawyers, it’s a criminal’s world out there with no help from the courts.

I hope the council take action and ban this person from town to safeguard shop workers. We did it in the last couple of years and I expect the new council to carry that on and protect shop workers and help police.

Mike Lilley

Labour and Cooperative Party

Ward Councillor for Old Heath the Hythe & Rowhedge