Alarm bells sound in a leading clothing store in Oxford’s Clarendon Centre. Back through the security doors comes an embarrassed middle-aged woman shopper clutching the bag of ‘stolen’ goods that had triggered the alert. She is ignored by the girl on the till, occupied in dealing with the next customer. Two other members of staff, heads together over certain pressing business (discussing last night’s episode of Emmerdale?), could not be less interested.

Out through the doors again goes our shopper. Once more the alarm bells sound. Back into the shop the customer comes — to no reaction whatsoever from the three members of staff. She now looks perplexed.

For a third time, the whole process is repeated, except that the shopper now confronts the two chatting assistants. They exchange words with her but make no examination of her bag. She leaves. The bells ring.

High street stores talk lots about shoplifting, the ‘shrinkage’ that puts up prices for us all. But this shop was clearly doing nothing to stop it.