An ex-shoplifter who claims he pinched £3million worth of items says it's too easy for thieves to get away with it and suggests shops display empty boxes to combat crime.<br /><br />Cullan Mais, 32, says he used to steal £2k of items a day - up to £14k-a-week - shoplifting at the peak of his criminality and in total stole items with a retail value of £3million.<br /> <br />He says shoplifting was "harder to kick" than his drug habit.<br /><br />He has since turned his life around but says shops make it too easy for shoplifters and advises them to put in place stricter measures to deter people.<br /><br />Cullan suggests shop keepers should use empty boxes when displaying high value goods, avoid keeping spirits on the shop floor and place tills close to exits.<br /><br />He also recommends they be aware of blind spots and have security at all times - if they can.<br /><br />He was nicked in August 2020 for shoplifting and received a suspended sentence which spurred him on to get clean and on the straight and narrow.<br /><br />In total, he went to prison 10 times, all for shoplifting offences, and served a total of three years.<br /><br />Cullan, a podcaster who works for a charity that helps people with drug addictions, from Cardiff, Wales, said: “First of all you are never going to stop shoplifting completely but shops should always have tills by their doors. <br /><br />“They should be much more aware of their blind spots and stop putting valuables on the shop floors.<br /><br />“Some shops have started using empty boxes for higher value goods - there should be more of this.<br /><br />“If ever a shop had security, I wouldn't steal from there. I’d simply go to one that didn’t have it - so more shops should have security. <br /><br />“The main one I would say though is stop putting alcohol on shop floors - if there’s alcohol there it will be nicked.”<br /><br />Cullan began taking heroin when he was 18.<br /><br />By 22, he was struggling to fund his addiction, until in 2010 he managed to get his hands on a car.<br /><br />Cullan said: “The moment I got wheels is the moment I discovered shoplifting.<br /><br />“This was next level - it made it so easy. You could just blag the stuff and make a getaway.<br /><br />“I started off with local shops.<br /><br />“At the start I used to ask people in my neighbourhood what they wanted and would go into the town centre and steal clothes.<br /><br />“Then I started going to supermarkets and stealing food.<br /><br />“You’d be amazed at how many people were after cheap meat and cheese. <br /><br />“Co-op always had alcohol right on the shop floor, so that that quickly became my bread and butter."<br /><br />Cullan said it got to the point where he was making £2k-a-day “with ease” - largely from alcohol.<br /><br />“The most I ever managed to steal in one go without a bag was 19 bottles of spirits, with no bag.<br /><br />“It was about six bottles of expensive gin, four bottles of whiskey, and a couple of bottles of Cîroc vodka, some champagne, Moet and Bollinger. <br /><br />“I had a Barber gilet on with chest pockets, normal pockets, and in the back, it had a wide pocket that you could put stuff in.”
