Thames Valley Police retail crime strategy promises shoplifting crackdown

The new Thames Valley Police strategy promises to tackle shoplifting and other retail crime

Shoplifting and other retail crime has not always been tackled effectively, police chiefs have admitted.

Thames Valley Police has launched a new Retail Crime Strategy, developed jointly with retailers and businesses.

Police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber said offences targeting shops were not "victimless crimes".

The Association of Convenience Stores welcomed efforts to target "prolific, repeat offenders who blight communities".

PCC Matthew Barber launched the force's Retail Crime Strategy

Launching the strategy, Mr Barber said retail crime had a "profound impact" on shop staff, customers and the wider economy.

He told the BBC: "If everything was working well, we wouldn't need the strategy.

"We need to make sure that we can set clear expectations for retailers, for the public, so they get the service from the police that they deserve."

The strategy includes greater use of facial recognition technology to identify prolific shoplifters.

An app is being rolled out to share information between businesses and the police, including a "rogues gallery" of those caught on CCTV.

It also promises a greater visible presence of police officers and PCSOs in retail spaces.

Thames Valley Strategic Retail Crime Forum has also been created to strengthen communication between the police and businesses in tackling retail crime.

Ian Lewis' Spar shop has been targeted by shoplifters

Ian Lewis, who runs a Spar shop in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire, said "I know how tight funding is for the police but something does need to change.

"We really need some help to deter people from doing this because these shoplifters see it as an income now - we're on our own and we really do need some support."

Thames Valley Police's Assistant Chief Constable Christian Blunt said: "I don't think it's a matter of where have things gone wrong - it's just that we've had to prioritise in policing.

"We have a lot of issues that we need to deal with and we would recognise that perhaps we haven't prioritised retail crime as much as we should have done."

James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), said shop theft and violence against shop workers should "not be tolerated".

"Partnership working and information sharing are the keys to making this strategy work, and we want all retailers to engage with the police, report all crime and work together to identify and apprehend the prolific repeat offenders who blight communities."

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