Britain revealed as shoplifting capital of Europe

London, Apr 26 (ANI): Recession-hit Britain is the shoplifting capital of Europe, according to a report.

According to an official league table of the world's most crooked countries, businesses in the UK are more likely to be hit by thieves than almost anywhere else in the world.

The European nation has even out-robbed Mafia-infested states including Albania, Romania and Kazakhstan, reports The Daily Star.

The UK is outranked only by countries such as Chad in central Africa, which has suffered civil war for more than 40 years.

Yesterday, a senior Opposition spokesman urged the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to crack down on the thieves.

Shadow Business Minister Mark Prisk said: "These shocking figures confirm that British businesses suffer more from crimes like shoplifting than almost every other country in the world.

"A theft from a shop is reported to the police every two minutes."

He urged Brown to restore Britain's reputation for honesty and fair play.

He added: "At a time when thousands of small firms are struggling to survive the recession, every theft puts more jobs at risk. The Government must take urgent action to address this problem and cut the cost of crime to business." (ANI)