Officers arrest 53 for shoplifting across Essex

Twenty-nine people have been charged with a total of 79 counts of shoplifting in Essex during the past fortnight.

Two were also charged with assaulting retail workers.

A total of 53 people were arrested for shop theft* in Essex between 17 & 30 June 2024: 14 in Thurrock; 11 in the Colchester district; 10 in Southend; six in each of the Basildon and Chelmsford districts; four in Tendring; and two in Castle Point.

Our officers have made 103 arrests for shop theft in the past four weeks. Between 1 January and 30 June 2024, that figure rises to 730.

Sergeant Christian Denning, of our Business Crime Team, says that’s an average of 28 arrests a week.

“Officers across Essex continue to focus on offenders who shoplift because they know the distress they cause to local communities.
“And we, as business crime officers, focus our work on advising retailers of the various ways they can protect their business and keep their staff and customers safe and secure.
“You can find plenty of advice and information on our webpages and you can contact the Business Crime Team direct from them if you can’t find what you are looking for.”

As well as the charges against 29 of those we arrested, investigations are ongoing in 16 other cases. One person was cautioned, one person received a community resolution and no further action will be taken against six others.

* Arrests for shop theft. This relates to the number of arrests our officers have made. A person may have been arrested more than once for theft from a shop during the time period. And they may have been arrested for more than one offence.

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 about how our business crime officers can help your business, visit our Business Crime pages.

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