Southend woman jailed and given five-year court order to prevent shoplifting

A prolific shoplifter has been jailed for 24 weeks and given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Sally Burrows, 48, of no fixed abode, was sentenced on Wednesday 16 August for five counts of theft from a shop, one count of assault by beating and one account of failing to provide a sample for a drugs test.

The court decided that, due to Burrow's repeat offending and the nature of her offences, she would have to be sent to prison. Burrows was ordered to pay compensation of £160 in relation to the assault.

She has also been given a CBO, in place for five years from Wednesday 16 August, which prevents her entering a number of shops in the south of Essex:

• Co-op in Sutton Road, Southend-on-Sea;
• Matalan in Greyhound Retail Park, Southend-on-Sea;
• Boots Chemist in Churchill Square, Southend-on-Sea;
• The Range in Short Street, Southend-on-Sea;
• Boots Chemist in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea;
• Asda in Priory Close, Rayleigh.

CBOs are designed to tackle the most serious and persistent anti-social individuals where their behaviour has brought them before a criminal court.

It is an offence to breach the terms of a CBO and courts can impose a maximum sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both, for an adult convicted of breaching them.

PC Alex Plakhtienko, of the Essex Police Business Crime Team, worked with the Crown Prosecution Service to secure the CBO, saying:

“We have a duty to protect all victims of crime from repeat offenders.
“And one way we can do this is by applying to the courts for criminal behaviour orders which are intended to prevent their re-offending and future impact on retail staff.
“This custodial sentence was due to Burrow’s history of theft, and she will face another sentence if she breaches her order.”

 

Criminal behaviour orders

We will not tolerate prolific and violent offenders who cause harm to businesses and their employees.

Our Business Crime Team will apply to implement a criminal behaviour order against those who continue to commit crime against local businesses.

A criminal behaviour order, or CBO, is a set of conditions placed on an individual by a court, which will prevent the person from causing further harm against the business.

The conditions could include banning the individual from entering a particular shop or area, such as a town centre, for a defined amount of time.

If the person breaches the order, it could result in a prison sentence.

This has proved to be a successful way of reducing offences such as theft or abuse towards staff.

CBOs also tackle the underlying causes of offending and, where appropriate, require offenders to engage in treatment services, such as drug and alcohol addiction support.

It is an offence to breach the terms of a CBO and courts can impose a maximum sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both, for an adult convicted of breaching them.

PC Plakhtienko added:

“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. Offenders’ behaviour can affect staff and customers in the shops they target and we in the Business Crime Team work with retailers and staff to prevent this.
“Through our Open For Business, Closed For Crime campaign, we encourage staff to report incidents of abuse and violence so we can take action and put offenders before the courts.”

 

Essex Police Business Crime Team

Our Business Crime Team specialises in supporting businesses, working to build relationships with independent shops and retail chains, explaining how they can report crime to us and, just as importantly, what will happen when they do.

They help to identify risks in the workplace, providing crime prevention, fraud and cyber-crime advice and strengthening links with businesses and partners, including local community safety partnerships, Essex Chambers of Commerce and the Essex Federation of Small Businesses.

Working with the National Business Crime Centre, the team share nationally-identified crime trends and best practice with our business community. And they have also developed a comprehensive guide to business crime prevention which identifies steps business-owners can take to protect themselves and their properties.

For more information, visit our Business Crime Team pages.

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