Hundreds of arrests as Wolverhampton teams have shop thieves in their sights

Our Wolverhampton police teams have made hundreds of arrests for shop thefts across the city in the last year as our focus on keeping our streets and town centres safe continues.

In about a third of the 3,100 offences reported to us an offender has been identified, with around 900 arrests resulting in 300 suspected shop thieves being detained and interviewed. Many have been found responsible for multiple thefts.

Just over a week ago (19 Dec) a 29-year-old was jailed for eight months after admitting 10 shop thefts following his arrest by officers in Bilston. He's also been barred from a number of premises under an 18-month criminal behaviour order, whilst another shop thief who was jailed for 26 weeks earlier this year is now the subject of a CBO for five years.

Community Behaviour Orders are being used by the teams to prevent offenders returning to shops and stores they have previously targeted - and if they continue to offend despite the ban they are being dealt with by the courts.

A third prolific offender was jailed for more than three years after he continued to steal from shops in Wolverhampton even though he was under a restraining order and a CBO banning him from entering certain shops. After the 37-year-old was arrested by officers in Fallings Park he admitted stealing from shops nine times in less than three weeks and he was jailed for three years and six months.

We are mindful that sometimes justice through the court system isn't a long-term solution and Wolverhampton is now part of West Midlands Police's innovative Offending to Recovery (O2R) scheme which helps break the cycle of addiction and criminality.

The teams are keen to explore other initiatives which adopt a more holistic approach in preventing the cycle of committing crime in the retail sector, through engagement, education and utilising existing support services within local areas.

O2R is one of the key elements in our work to make town centres safer but it is not necessarily an alternative to arrest and criminal action - it can and often does - run alongside regular enforcement like the court system, fines and bans.

Retail crime and shop thefts are part of our on-going crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour this winter as part of the national Winter of Action initiative which is seeing us work alongside a range of partners to help tackle crimes, reassure communities and ensure our high streets remain safe for shoppers, workers and revellers.

Insp Martin Danher, Wolverhampton’s business crime lead, said: "We want our residents, shoppers, visitors and those who come here for work, to feel safe in our city and we carry out regular patrols in our shopping hubs as well as more covert activity and targeted operations to keep the pressure on offenders.

"The teams are committed to identifying and detaining criminals who do target our shops and stores as we know these crimes can really impact our local businesses and communities.

“Our officers have been working hard to liaise with local retailers and store security to identify persistent offenders and any emerging trends or hotspots. Detaining those who commit shop thefts is a priority for our teams and it will remain so.”

This work goes on as part of the Winter of Action to create town centres where businesses thrive, and communities feel secure. #SaferStreetsWinter.

For more information on support for retailers, click here https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-business-safe-from-crime/.