Arrests as police forces crackdown on shoplifting

Kent and Surrey Police forces say shoplifting has increased in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Multiple arrests have been made in the past week in pre-Christmas crackdowns on shoplifting in Kent and Surrey.

Surrey Police said 20 people had been arrested in a single day of action on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Kent Police made two shoplifting arrests in west Kent this week.

Both forces said there had been increases in shoplifting offences in the past 12 months in their respective counties.

One force attributed the rise to the cost of living crisis and organised criminal gangs.

Senior officers said more investigators, both in uniform and plain clothes, had been deployed to shoplifting hotspots.

They also said they were engaging with shop owners and utilising new intelligence techniques.

Earlier this week Surrey Police charged eight people with 23 offences, visited 135 commercial premises to offer security advice, and engaged with 12 previous offenders.

Supt Adam Smith, of Surrey Police, said: "Shoplifting is not a victimless crime.

"It can have a devastating financial impact for businesses, as well as leaving shop workers and owners feeling afraid and intimidated at their place of work. This is simply not acceptable.”

Kent Police focused its enforcement in shops in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells

In Kent, officers focused action in the west of the county in high streets in Tonbridge, Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells.

The force said 2,778 shoplifting offences were recorded in the area in 2022, with a total of 584 charges brought.

So far in 2023 the same area has seen 3,168 offences recorded and 664 charges already brought.

Ch Insp Stuart Paul said: "I think it is many factors, the cost of living is probably one of those.

"We're also seeing a number of organised criminal gangs that do come into our town centres."

Geraldine Johnston says her business lost hundreds of pounds this summer due to repeat offenders

Despite the enforcement, some shop owners said they had not noticed any improvement.

Geraldine Johnston, from Organic Village Market in Tonbridge, said this summer the shop lost hundreds of pounds due to repeat offending.

“They [Kent Police] are not showing me any concern. I don’t see them walking about the high street,” she said.

After an incident involving a threatening customer, she said she received a phone call from police, but no follow-up.

Police said they had launched schemes to allow businesses to contact them more easily, and shops can pay to have walkie-talkies which connect directly to local officers.