Essex police said last week they have made 1,025 arrests for shop theft so far this year.
This relates to the number of arrests between 1 January and 24 September, and a person may have been arrested more than once for theft from a shop.
Officers have also secured a total of 1,733 shop theft charges in that time.
The agency added that it is getting the evidence – such as witness statements and CCTV footage – to build strong cases to put before the courts thanks to its close working partnership with retailers and business organisations.
Lee Hammond, head of profit improvement and internal security for the East of England Co-op and a member of the Essex Business Crime Strategic Board, said the retail chain works closely in partnership with the Business Crime Team of Essex police ‘in all aspects of crime prevention and prosecutions’.
“Through working together to target prolific offenders, providing impact statements and suppling CCTV footage, we’re able to provide the best evidence possible, which often results in successful prosecutions,” Hammond said.
“Shoplifting is a crime that carries consequences, and we will continue to do all we can with the Essex Police Business Crime Team to protect our colleagues and customers and the wider retail community.”
Denise Rossiter, chief executive of Essex Chambers of Commerce, noted that a key component in the fight against shoplifting, is to get more convictions, especially of persistent offenders.
“Critical to this effort is for retailers and the police to work together, for example on initiatives where retailers are actively involved in compiling strong evidence to help the police to bring prosecutions and ensure offenders face justice,” she said.
“Essex Chambers of Commerce is pleased to have been able to work with Essex Police and several large retailers over a number of years to help raise awareness and develop strategies to combat a problem which is not victimless - as it is sometimes portrayed - but can have serious effects on shop staff and shoppers.”
One of the campaigns run by the Business Crime Team is Operation Pedlar, where retailers pledge not to re-sell stolen goods and to report information to the police if they are offered stolen goods for sale.
Sergeant Christian Denning, of the Business Crime Team, said the force is working hard to combat and reduce shoplifting.
“There has been a rise in reported cases of shoplifting nationwide and, of course, the situation in Essex reflects this. But Essex remains below the national average for shoplifting incidents per 1,000 residents,” Denning said.
Business crime officers work with retail partners to advise them on how to gather crucial evidence which will strengthen cases put before the courts.
And, in return, the team gains valuable intelligence and information which helps them to keep abreast of emerging crime trends and to adapt their specialist crime prevention advice accordingly, such as store layout, staff safety and premises security.
“We also work with policing teams across the county, many of which have specific operations in place to target known prolific offenders,” Denning added.
“We support them with the provision of crime prevention advice and advise on the legal powers available to apply for at court. This includes criminal behaviour orders, which can be used to ban frequent shoplifters from stores or require them to attend drugs or alcohol treatment courses, to address the root causes of their offending.”
Individual offences may involve less than £200 of goods but, frequently, offenders commit multiple thefts and the totals soon add up, making a huge difference to a retailer’s bottom line.
Denning said retailers reporting shop theft, assaults on staff and associated anti-social behaviour is central to ensure a safer shopping environment for everyone.
“The information you provide helps us to identify, arrest and build cases against shoplifters – whatever the total cost of the goods they steal,” he added.
