Officers made 27 arrests for shoplifting last week

As part of our ongoing work to target shoplifters and retail crime, officers across Essex made 27 arrests for shop theft last week.

And 17 people have subsequently been charged with theft offences and other related matters.

Between 20 and 26 November, six people were arrested for shop theft in Colchester; four in each of the Basildon, Southend and Thurrock districts; and three in Harlow. Two were arrested in Tendring; and one in each of Brentwood, Chelmsford and Epping Forest Districts.

“We encourage retail staff to report theft, assaults and anti-social behaviour to us. These reports enable us to identify emerging issues.
“Our officers can then work with businesses to mitigate risk by providing specialist crime prevention advice and information about staff security.
“And reporting all crimes which occur in stores can provide us with evidence of patterns of offending behaviour. We can use this to apply to the courts for criminal behaviour orders to be imposed on persistent and prolific shoplifters.”
Sergeant Christian Denning, of our Business Crime Team

Three 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.

The team reviews every arrest for shop theft and will be seeking a criminal behaviour order against one of those arrested.

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

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.

One person accepted a community resolution after their arrest last week and cases involving six others are still being investigated.

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.