Officers arrest another 24 on suspicion of shoplifting

Last week, Essex Police officers arrested 24 people on suspicion of shoplifting.

And 15 were subsequently charged with theft offences and other related matters.

Six people were arrested in each of the Harlow and Southend districts between Monday 4 and Sunday 10 December for shop theft, three were arrested in each of the Colchester and Tendring districts and one in each of Basildon, Braintree, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Epping Forest and Thurrock.

Sergeant Christian Denning and specialist business crime officers work with retailers and other businesses to advise them how to stop crimes from happening in the first place. He says:

“We’re dedicated to supporting businesses across Essex and, through our Open for Business, Closed for Crime initiative, we also work with them to encourage them to report crime to us, whether it’s theft of goods or for abusing or assaulting staff.”

While most shop theft investigations are carried out by officers locally to bring offenders to justice, the Business Crime Team reviews every shoplifting arrest.

Last week, six people arrested also tested positive for Class A drugs under our drug test on arrest scheme, which sees adults we arrest for acquisitive crimes, such as shop theft, required to take a saliva test for cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.

A positive test leads to an automatic referral for an assessment by one of the three drug treatment services we work with in Essex.

Three people arrested last week were cautioned for shop theft offences and three received community resolutions. Cases involving three others are still being investigated while no further action will be taken against another.

Community resolutions

Community resolutions enable the police to deal with certain offences and offenders outside the formal criminal justice process. The victim and the investigating officer decide on the appropriate resolution, which ranges from apologising to the victim or offering to pay compensation to clearing up graffiti or repairing criminal damage.

The offender must admit their guilt but a CR is not classed as a conviction and doesn’t result in a criminal record. However, the fact someone has been subject to a CR can be taken into consideration if further offences are committed.

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.