Mansfield shop thefts tumble after targeted action

Months of proactive, targeted police work in Mansfield has seen the number of recorded shop thefts fall dramatically.

The number of offences recorded in the financial year to September has fallen by 43 per cent, with just over 300 offences reported between April and mid-September.

Shop theft is a priority issue for the local neighbourhood policing team, which has introduced a highly targeted twin-track approach to prolific local offenders and organised gangs of thieves.

Prolific local offenders

By identifying the most prolific local offenders, officers have succeeded in reducing the disproportionate number of offences committed by a relatively small group of people who are often stealing in the town centre to fund addictions.

They have done this by profiling the most prolific offenders and targeting them with Criminal Behaviour Orders – evidence-based court injunctions that prevent people from doing certain things and being in certain areas.

The team currently has eight such orders in place  and five people have been jailed for breaching them – each receiving sentences far greater than their original shop theft offences would have warranted.

It is also working with local charities and the council to try to ensure those offenders are getting the additional support they need to tackle the reason for their offending.

Organised criminal gangs

At the same time, organised criminal gangs targeting the local retail parks have been hampered by target hardening measures introduced in partnership with retailers, and by an additional team of officers drafted in to disrupt their activities.

Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, said:

“When we started to look into this issue in more depth it became clear to us that the majority of offences were being committed by a relatively small number of repeat offenders.

“While it would perhaps be an overstatement to describe these people as professional shoplifters, most were stealing on a daily basis to fund their addiction to drugs and alcohol.

“Broadly speaking we’ve taken a carrot and stick approach to these individuals – offering support and help on the one hand, whilst on the other relentlessly targeting them and disrupting their activities.

“Our use of CBOs, for example, has been particularly effective and has seen many of the most prolific offenders locked up during this period.

“With the organised gangs, meanwhile, we’ve deployed additional resources to follow up reported thefts, and have worked to track vehicles operating throughout the region.

“We’ve also supported retailers to make relatively simple changes to store layout and security arrangements – all the while making things more challenging for people looking for an easy target.

“This has all taken a lot of hard work, but the results speak for themselves.”