Shoplifting in the UK has exploded to record levels, a crime wave fueled not by master criminals but by people with addiction, single mothers, and other people pushed to the edge. The country is trudging through a cost of living crisis, and stealing has become less about greed—and more about survival.
One man who knows this world better than most is Cullan Mais. Once one of Britain’s most prolific shoplifters, he stole an estimated £3 million worth of goods over a decade to feed his addiction, serving multiple prison sentences along the way. Today, after turning his life around, Cullan is a popular content creator and recovery advocate.
Videos by VICE
In this episode of Rule Britannia, filmmaker Will Fairman follows Cullan back to the Welsh streets where he grew up to expose the hidden ecosystem of shoplifting—far removed from organized gangs, and closer to home than many might think. What unfolds is the iceberg beneath the statistics: a raw, unfiltered look at theft driven by addiction, poverty, and systemic failure.
Watch it now in the player below or over at VICE’s YouTube channel.
