A NORTH-EAST police boss has blamed the impact of the global financial climate and the Government’s welfare reform for the growth in the number of women arrested for shoplifting for the first time.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird said while the number of first-time offenders in the force area had reduced by 2.9 per cent over the past two years, figures for first-time shoplifters show the number of women offenders standing at 44 per cent compared to the number of first time male offenders at 26 per cent.

While the most common item stolen was alcohol at 19 per cent, other items stolen included meat, poultry and fish at 11 per cent, other foodstuffs at 17 per cent and personal toiletries and clothing collectively at 18 per cent.

Ms Baird said: “At the end of last year it was apparent that people were starting to steal items they could once afford.

“There’s been growing evidence to suggest this is due to the impact of both poverty and welfare reform, with people stealing what they were once able to take for granted and just go out and buy.

“The growth in the number of first time women shoplifting offenders would suggest it’s affecting the poorer women in our communities, those who are experiencing the impact of the welfare reforms.”

She added, anecdotal evidence suggested many low level crimes are being linked to people who have had greater support from the benefits system - with the region’s Labour politicians berating the Government for failing in getting the North-East to have a share of the "UK’s gradual rise in economic fortunes".

The region has the highest unemployment rates with a growing dependency on food banks.

Ms Baird’s comments follow a call by Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner John Hogg last month for desperate woman driven to shoplifting to feed their families to be put on a on a course instead of taken to court.