Four prolific shoplifters charged with multiple offences in Bath

Last week, our officers worked with Business Improvement Districts, the private security industry and business-led action groups to help tackle business crime forcewide as part of our response to the nationwide increase in reported shoplifting offences and abusive behaviour towards store staff.

Across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Somerset, we carried out a mix of plain-clothed and uniformed patrols targeting shoplifting, burglary and anti-social behaviour.

Officers visited shops and spoke to members of the public and staff about community safety, security and reporting issues, and we had a pop-up ‘police shop’ in Broadmead, Bristol.

Days of action led to four arrests in Bristol city centre and one arrest for four counts of theft in Yeovil.

These results follow the recent court appearances of four prolific offenders in Bath: 

• A 34-year-old man of no fixed abode was charged with 18 theft offences between September and October. He admitted to the offences at Bath Magistrates’ Court and has since been remanded in custody, pending a hearing on 30 October.  
• A 21-year-old man of no fixed abode was charged with 16 offences, including six non-dwelling burglaries, two attempted burglaries and seven thefts from shops. These took place between July and September and included four instances of theft of tobacco products and vapes worth more than £2,000 in all. He was also charged with the theft of a bicycle worth £2,500. He’s been remanded in custody for sentencing on 7 November. 
• A 24-year-old woman of no fixed abode was charged with three thefts from a hair salon on three dates in September. She admitted to the offences at Bath Magistrates’ Court, resulting in a £40 fine. She was also ordered to pay £969.57 in compensation. 
• A 45-year-old man from Bath is due before Bath Magistrates’ Court on 30 October, charged with burglary after entering a staff-only area of a shop to steal tobacco and vapes worth £300.

This work doesn’t just happen during weeks of action. A dedicated team within our Incident Assessment Unit is helping neighbourhood policing teams identify hotspot shops and prolific offenders. In one case, the team flagged an issue at a Taunton store over the summer. The store improved its security measures and officers focused on repeat offenders, leading to several arrests. All types of crime and incidents reported by the shop reduced by two-thirds, comparing July and August with September and October (to date).

Chief Inspector Rebecca Wells-Cole, Force Lead for Business Crime, said: “These crimes are often described as ‘low-level offending’, but their impact on both businesses and the wider community is huge. 

“We take thefts from shops seriously and encourage store workers to report incidents. We do have to prioritise all calls based on the likelihood of someone coming to immediate harm, so any incident in which there has been violence and a suspect remains on the scene will be prioritised.

“Even when officers can’t attend, we’ll review lines of enquiry and are working to make it easier to report online. This includes uploading CCTV and the statements necessary to support our investigations in a timely way, with a focus on prolific offenders.”

Officers also work with partner agencies and community groups. In cases where an offender is vulnerable, they can be referred to support services or food banks. Where repeat and prolific offenders have been identified, officers encourage shops to issue civil banning letters, which, if ignored, can help provide evidence so that action can be taken under anti-social behaviour legislation.

We’ve used this legislation successfully, obtaining court orders that can be used both to tackle unwanted behaviour, such as barring persistent offenders from certain shopping areas, and to require positive action, like engaging with support. Failing to comply with these orders can lead to jail time.

Without reports from the public, we won’t be able to identify offenders, build a bigger picture of their crimes and take further action: Report shoplifting | Avon and Somerset Police