Arrests made during day of action tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour
Avon and Somerset Police carried out the 'day of action' in Bristol and Bath earlier this week
The police have this week been taking action across the West Country in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour and to deter would-be shoplifters.
On Tuesday (October 17), uniformed officers, neighbourhood police, city marshals, security teams and staff from the Bristol and Bath Business Improvement Districts came together on the day, which saw a number of people arrested.
During the day, officers visited stores across the two cities, reminding them about the different ways shop theft can be reported - especially when it involves aggressive suspects, small businesses or a prolific offender.
It's as the force say they 'don't underestimate' the impact of these types of crime on our communities.
The Day of Action in Bristol
A number of arrests were made in Bristol, following the police's day of action in Broadmead.
Two men in their 30s were arrested for being in breach of Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs). One was charged and appeared in court the same day - and was released on bail by magistrates ahead of a hearing next month, whilst the other was charged and released on bail and is due to appear in court in December.
Two other men were seen by officers in breach of Community Protection Notices. Both are already due in court for earlier breaches and the latest incidents will be added to the file.
Officers also issued a dispersal notice and seized goods being offered for sale by an unlicensed street vendor.
Sean Underwood, who's a Neighbourhood Sergeant, said: “We hold monthly meetings with the Bristol Business Improvement District and local businesses to make sure we understand the issues affecting them and work together to find solutions.
“We’re successfully using ASB legislation to target persistent offenders with orders which can be used both to tackle unwanted behaviour, such as barring them from certain shopping areas, and to require positive action like engaging with support services.
“This day of action is the latest in a series of activity aimed at supporting the business community. In a similar event last month a shoplifter suspected of 30 thefts was arrested.”
The Day of Action in Bath
Avon and Somerset Police's Neighbourhood team joined members of Bath's Business Improvement District at a stand in Stall Street, promoting a range of crime prevention advice and information to people in the city.
Their PCSOs also patrolled jointly with city marshals while uniformed police officers also carried out patrols on foot.
During the day, they made a number of arrests.
CCTV staff reported a man behaving suspiciously on the High Street, and after officers arrived, three stolen handbags were recovered after a search. They say a man in his 20s is now due to attend a police station for interview.
A woman was asked by a PCSO and a city marshal on joint patrol to not charge her phone using a shop's electricity supply. A woman has now been put on bail, pending an appearance at Bath's Magistrates Court next month after the 18-year-old was arrested and charged with assaulting a city marshal by spitting, and two counts of assaulting emergency workers (police officers) by kicking and spitting.
Bath Neighbourhood Inspector, Jon Nash, said: “Thankfully we haven’t seen significant increases in reported shop theft in our city and since March there has been a decrease.
“Shop staff should feel safe at work, and we don’t underestimate the impact of these types of crime. We do need shops to tell us about thefts and anti-social behaviour. We aim to respond to reports of shoplifting with a value of more than £50 and prioritise incidents in which there is reported violence, or a suspect has been detained.
“When operational demand means we’re unable to attend, thefts and other incidents in shops are still investigated. We’re committed to working with individual businesses and business groups to support them and have successfully used anti-social behaviour legislation to ban persistent thieves from certain areas.”
Nick Bishop, from Bath BID, said: “Nationally shop theft is on the rise, as is violence towards store workers, therefore it is important we all work together to tackle these issues. In Bath we’re lucky to have a strong network of retailers, security staff and city marshals, who are supported by a really good Neighbourhood Policing Team, working together.
“We do a lot of proactive work and have 140 businesses connected with each other through the City Link radio scheme, which is a really valuable communication tool to help catch shop thieves and prolific offenders. At the Bath BID we value the police as key partners and events such as Safer Business Action Days only help to strengthen the importance of a partnership approach to tackle crime in the city centre.”
Avon and Somerset Police say more days of action are planned.