'Harsher punishments would not have stopped me shoplifting — but I admit I was selfish'

'Harsher punishments would not have stopped me shoplifting — but I admit I was selfish' Jade Smith, a mother from Skelton-in-Cleveland, North Yorkshire, recalled her shoplifting past, as authorities in the UK step up efforts to stop prolific thieves A former offender has admitted no punishment would have stopped her from shoplifting. Jade Smith, 35, said she often resorted to stealing after she spent all of her money on cocaine when she was addicted to drugs. She "had nothing to live on" until she got paid again, and so she took food and household items from stores. But it led to convictions and Jade became homeless, spending a period of her life living in a tent. She is now five to six weeks clean at a rehabilitation facility and is trying to rebuild relationships with her children and family, but the woman has confessed stricter punishments would not have deterred her from crime. When asked this week if she would have carried out shoplifting, Jade, of Skelton-in-Cleveland, North Yorkshire, said: "I would probably have, yes (despie harsher punishments), because it's just what you've got to do at the tme to get through in your life, because everybody's life is different." Now, Jade believes the driving force behind her struggle was her drug addiction. She began taking drugs as a teenager and believed the older people she mixed with at the time influenced the path her life took. But having had rehab at a clinic in Preston, Lancashire, the mum is now taking the opportunity to help others going through similar challenges. Speaking to the BBC, Jade said: "I do now think about the shop workers and how they felt. "I'd like to apologise. I wish I'd thought at the time how other people would be feeling and not just myself. It was quite selfish really. I'd spend all my money on my drugs and then I'd have nothing to live on until I got paid next." Authorities across the UK are taking steps to stop prolific thieves. Croydon Council in south London last month said shoplifters could be forced to wear ankle tags and be banned from the whole borough. Sussex Police was the first force in the UK to successfully pilot the ankle technology in this way, to see how it could potentially be rolled out, and Croydon has spoken to bosses as it considers new plans. Jade, though, believes introducing harsher punishments would not help the crackdown nationally. This is despite her conviction of fraud aged 16 after stealing cheques from her father's cheque book, and her jail term following a street robbery in 2019 Shoplifting offences in her area - managed by Cleveland Police - increased by nearly 15% in the last financial year - the biggest percentage increase in the country. The force said it was committed to tackling the issue and will continue to use all of the tools at their disposal.