- Neighbourhood policing teams are taking a proactive approach to tackling retail crime, using criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) to deter prolific offenders.
- CBOs aim to address the root causes of offending, such as drug and alcohol addiction, and have already led to successful convictions and jail time for offenders who breach the orders.
- The force is collaborating with retailers through the Open For Business, Closed For Crime initiative to build strong cases for court and support successful convictions.
Essex Police have arrested 641 people for shop theft in the first five months of 2025, with the total rising to 678 by 8 June, as neighbourhood policing teams take a more proactive approach to tackling retail crime.
The crackdown includes a growing use of criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) to deter prolific offenders, those with 15 or more previous convictions or cautions, by banning them from certain stores and requiring them to seek addiction support.
Neighbourhood teams lead retail crime crackdown
A key shift in strategy has seen Essex’s expanded neighbourhood policing teams take charge of shop theft investigations, aiming to both prosecute and rehabilitate offenders. Officers now work closely with the courts to apply for CBOs – legal orders traditionally used for anti-social behaviour but increasingly imposed on persistent shoplifters.
“If people are simply sentenced for their crimes, there is no incentive for them to stop offending,” Sergeant Christian Denning from the force’s Business Crime Team said.
“And if the causes of their offending, which are often related to drug and alcohol addiction, are not addressed, they often can’t stop by themselves because they need immediate cash to fund their habit.”
Court orders aim to tackle root causes
CBOs come with strict conditions, often banning individuals from entering specific shops or retail chains, and requiring them to attend drug or alcohol rehabilitation programmes. Currently, 100 individuals targeting shops in Essex are subject to such orders, which typically last between two and five years.
“In some cases, people are able to turn their lives around,” added Sgt Denning. “But if they don’t take the chance and continue stealing, then they can be jailed for flouting a court order.”
Jail time for breaching orders
This approach is already producing results. In one recent case, a 43-year-old man from Rayleigh was jailed for 23 months after breaching a CBO that banned him from any BP garage containing an M&S store, or any M&S store. He also admitted burglary, theft, and attempted shoplifting.
Another man, aged 38, was sentenced to eight months in prison for breaching a September 2023 ban from Co-op stores in Essex. Ten of the 11 shop thefts he admitted involved Co-op stores in Colchester, which he targeted between 6 and 26 March 2025, sometimes twice in a day.
Targeted bans and rehab conditions
Neighbourhood policing teams in Chelmsford have recently secured CBOs with significant restrictions.
A 45-year-old man was banned from a Tesco in Chelmsford city centre for five years. His order also prohibits public intoxication and carrying open alcohol in public, and requires him to engage in addiction support.
A 33-year-old woman from Great Baddow was banned from entering Co-op, Tesco, John Lewis, and the High Chelmer shopping centre after being caught with Class A drugs and shoplifting from her local Co-op.
In another case, a man was jailed for 16 months in March after stealing almost £20,000 worth of goods from Boots, Next, and other shops. His five-year CBO bars him from all Boots stores in Essex and all Next branches in England and Wales.
Retail partnerships support enforcement
The force is also ramping up collaboration with retailers via its Open For Business, Closed For Crime initiative. Police urge businesses to report every incident, supply good-quality CCTV, and provide witness statements to help secure convictions and support court applications for CBOs.
“This helps us to build strong cases for court and secure successful convictions,” said Sgt Denning.
“Appearing in court accused of shop theft can be a wake-up call for some. But for those who persist, CBOs can be an effective way of diverting them from offending. If that doesn’t work, they can be jailed.”
Of the 128 people arrested in May, 88 were charged with a total of 241 shop theft offences—eight of which included assaults. In the first eight days of June, police arrested 37 suspects and charged 29 of them with 63 shoplifting offences and three assaults.
