Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Shoplifting arrests in Essex cross 1000

Shoplifting arrests in Essex cross 1000
One of the campaigns run by the Essex Police 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. Photo: Essex Police

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.

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less