The BBC spoke – anonymously – to a manager at a national high street chain about how the offenses were affecting the mental health of her staff.

She showed us discarded drug paraphernalia in the back of the store and said some shoplifters threatened to stab her co-workers with a needle if they intervened.

A street warden told us he had just seen a regular shoplifter brazenly walk past a police van, despite reporting an incident involving threats with a knife just a fortnight ago.

A business monitoring initiative is already underway, supported by the police and the Erdington Business Improvement District (BID), which is reassuring traders.

“People react when they see the police,” said Paul Beresford, of the Erdington Pet Centre.

“We are looking to renew our lease early next year, so we are happy to stay and continue our business.”

There are over 300 stores in Erdington. It is a thriving business destination, but there are fears that a number of them are on the verge of closing their doors, precipitated by the impact of commercial crime.

“We will be actively monitoring these streets to bring Erdington back to a place where people feel it is a safe place to come,” Detective Superintendent Jim Munro said.

“And for those businesses that are working tirelessly, we hope to give them the best trade possible.”