Last month, British youth caused a lot of unrest after rumours spread on TikTok that they would rob a JD Sports store. This is not the first time that British young people have used TikTok to spread similar messages. Under the hashtag #borrowtipandtricks, tips are given on the best way to get away with theft.
TIKTOK IS USED FOR CRIMES
Last month, an invite went around on TikTok, showing a photo of the JD Sports store on Oxford Street in London. “Don’t come if you can’t run, don’t come if you make a lot of noise and don’t bring weapons,” it said. The invitation reached about a thousand British youths who gathered to rob the store. The police also saw the message and were deployed in time. Nine arrests were made during the so-called Oxford riots.
TikTok videos have been circulating for some time under the hashtag #Borrowtipandtricks, with which young people encourage each other to steal. The reason that the hashtag does not contain ‘stealing’ but ‘borrowing’ has to do with TikTok’s policy. Words such as ‘steal’ ensure that the videos are removed. Meanwhile, #Borrowtipandtricks already has more than eight billion views. In the videos, British TikTok users give tips on how to get away with theft and where you should and should not do this. Various stores are also rated based on how easy it is to steal there. For example, the English Primark stores receive a ten out of ten for,
Microsoft at Oxford Circus station attempted looting lots of riot Police turned arriving causing the youth to run away pic.twitter.com/sieUQteMwC
— Paul Brown 🇬🇧 Browns fan🏈 London News 🎥Vlogger (@PaulBrown_UK) August 9, 2023
NEWS HAS REACHED PARLIAMENT
The absurd TikTok trend has also reached the British Parliament. Police and Crime Minister Chris Philip said theft should not be tolerated in any way. He believes that the police have a zero-tolerance policy and conduct more investigations when the value of the stolen goods is less than £200. Philip also warned that British cities could end up like San Francisco, which has suffered a wave of shoplifting, forcing businesses to deploy more security. Foreign Minister Suelle Braverman has also decided that the police must take tougher action. However, there was not a positive response to this, as officers are not paid extra for more checks.
FOR MORE NEWS CLICK HERE
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK HERE
