Chelmsford: Woman charged after fast-paced shoplifting investigation

Officers investigating a series of incidents of shoplifting in Chelmsford have secured charges against a woman.

On Saturday 26 November, officers were alerted to an incident at Marks and Spencer in Chelmsford City Centre at around 1.45pm, whereby a woman attempted to take items from the store.

A short time later, a further incident of shoplifting at Poundland, in Chelmsford High Street, was reported.

A woman was monitored through the city’s CCTV system and officers swiftly attended Bellmead Park to make an arrest.

Charges have since been authorised against Claire Wood, 49, of Searle Place, Great Leighs, Chelmsford.

She faces charges of common assault, theft from a shop, attempted theft from a shop, a racially aggravated public order offence, criminal damage and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

Wood appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Monday 27 November and was remanded in custody until a hearing at the same court on Monday 4 December.

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.