Businesses and police across Nottinghamshire unite to clamp down on retail crime

Operation Synergy has contributed up to an 85 per cent decrease in shop theft reports from participating stores.

It streamlines the reporting process for businesses via a dedicated point of contact and has led to an increase in positive outcomes. This includes criminal behaviour orders being granted against shoplifters and, where appropriate, offenders are signposted into rehabilitation schemes.

This is in addition to neighbourhood officers who continue to carry out daily proactive patrols to identify offenders, deter shoplifting, and take positive enforcement action in response to emergency calls across the city and county.

Several initiatives led by the force’s specialist business and retail crime team, which brings together the Prevention Hub and healthcare partners, are addressing the root causes of offending to disrupt the repeat cycle of criminality.

Their focus not only incorporates effective enforcement by arresting criminals but also strong partnership work with businesses to build trust and confidence across the sector.

The force has seen a 30 per cent increase in positive shoplifting outcomes across the county in the last year between August 2023 and July 2024. This has risen from 3,176 to 4,132 compared to the same period between 2022 and 2023.

Nottinghamshire Police has held five Safer Business Action Days so far this year including ones in Mansfield and Bassetlaw.

These events involved dozens of uniformed officers patrolling the streets and engaging with businesses to discuss their concerns and establish solutions to acquisitive crime and violence against retail staff.

Almost 200 retailers were visited across the county as part of the targeted action, which brought together charities, supermarkets, businesses, and partner agencies alongside 87 officers.

As part of the force’s joint outreach work with substance misuse and homelessness charities, councils, and the NHS, 70 vulnerable people were signposted into further addiction support, which included a hygiene bank and free haircuts from a volunteer barber.

A sixth Safer Business Action Day is being organised for later this year.

The force also operates a Shop Watch scheme in several town centres across the county, which provides retailers with radios that connect directly to the control room at police headquarters so that incidents can be reported quickly, and CCTV captured.

Criminal behaviour orders are also used to ban the most prolific repeat offenders from specific shops or entire town centres and compels them to receive treatment for drug and alcohol misuse.

A rehabilitated offender also works with Nottinghamshire Police to use his knowledge of shoplifting to make it harder for criminals to operate. This includes advising businesses directly about adjusting the layout of their stores or where products are placed on the shelf.

Specialist designing out crime officers and problem-solving coordinators work collaboratively with partners and businesses to ensure retailers make it as hard as possible for thieves to operate by advising what changes can be made to reduce and deter shoplifting.

In 2023, Nottinghamshire Police was recognised nationally for introducing methods focusing on enforcement, prevention, and rehabilitation to address shoplifting and are regarded as a national lead for best practice.

Chief Superintendent Sukesh Verma, Nottinghamshire Police’s head of local policing, said: “Targeting those involved in acquisitive crime, like shoplifting, is a priority for the force as part of our retail crime action plan.

“Retail crime is not a victimless crime and is damaging to local businesses. Staff should not have to go to work for fear of being attacked, threatened, or intimidated.

“This is an ongoing issue, and we are working every day with local businesses and partner organisations to quickly identify offenders and increase trust and confidence across the retail sector that if a crime happens, then we will respond.

“National and independent retailers have a direct link to the police and we proactively manage relatively few offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.

“Most shoplifting offences are committed by those who are stealing to fund substance misuse, such as drugs and alcohol.

“Organised criminal groups also steal items in bulk, such as designer clothes, to sell for profit.

“We proactively target both groups through arresting offenders or signposting vulnerable people into further support with partner organisations, which is key for disrupting the repeat cycle of offending.

“It is important that help and support services are available to vulnerable people, however, we will not hesitate to act against those who continue with their criminal behaviour.

“Through our relationships with retailers we are building trust within our communities to encourage them to report instances of shoplifting and violence against staff, which has contributed to an increase in reports.

“In Nottinghamshire, we work collaboratively with the National Business Crime Centre and independent and national retailers to progress the nationwide response to retail crime and ensure we make the best use of technology to effectively respond to trends in offences.

“Recently, we have seen several prolific shoplifters jailed for stealing alcohol, electronics, and fragrances, and we will continue to tackle these offences over the coming months.

“We take all reports of retail crime seriously and our wide range of measures in place to reduce the impact that shoplifting has on our communities demonstrates our commitment to tackling this challenge.

“We will continue to work with our partners as we believe the long-term solution needed to reduce offences is through effective partnership work and rehabilitation.”