Wiltshire Police to exhaust all avenues amid shoplifting 'epidemic'
There's a call to make changes to the Criminal Justice Bill to allow police to regain a grip on retail crime
Wiltshire Police have told us they will exhaust every line of enquiry when dealing with retail crimes.
Last week, it was revealed that shoplifting in the county had risen by 42% in 2023, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
It comes as MP's are being urged to make an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill in what is being called an 'out of control shoplifting epidemic'.
A new report from one of the UK's leading retail crime criminologist's, Dr Emmeline Taylor, says the assault or abuse of a shop worker should be a specific standalone offence, which would allow police forces to regain it's grip on the issue.
Tackling shoplifting in Wiltshire
Chief Superintendent Phil Staynings is Head of Local Policing at Wiltshire Police and says the rise is a concern for the Force.
He puts the rise down to a number of issues, the cost-of-living crisis 'playing a big part'.
Chief Supt Staynings has told Greatest Hits Radio that the force are committed to responding to every crime that's reported to them.
"We're focussing very closely on our investigative standards," he said, "We have a Community investigation team that will triage and look at all theft offences as they are reported and look for early opportunities to identify those offenders through CCTV opportunities or other lines of inquiries."
He also told us that they've been targeting hotspot areas, as well as conducting high visibility patrols through town centres, with the purpose of reducing criminal offending and retail crime.
He says the Force are committed pursuing all reasonable lines of enquiry, in order to 'give confidence back to retailers that we're really taking this seriously'.
Chief Supt Staynings says shoplifting is an under-reported crime, but through the Retail Crime Action Plan brought in by Policing Minister Chris Philip, Wiltshire Police are hoping to increase the confidence of businesses reporting shop theft and retail crime.
"That's really, really important to us," he said, adding that the Force are working in partnership with Salisbury BID and Swindon BID to adopt a problem solving approach, saying: "We've got to get to the cause and symptoms as to why some individual shops or premises seem to be targeted."
Drive crime out by design
Chief Supt Staynings says there are 'simple' things shop owners can do to try and deter people who commit criminal offences, which largely revolve around where high value items are placed.
"We see examples of alcohol, for example, or high value items placed close to the entrances of stores.
"It's very much about thinking about actually how can that be more problematic for a criminal, so if they enter a particular location, where are those high value items?" he said.
Items like meat, cheese and alcohol are among the main targets for thieves.
While CCTV is a deterrent as too is security, for those that can afford it, the layout of the premises needs to be as difficult as possible for individuals minded to commit crime.
The Force does have a Designing Out Crime Officer, who can give advice to businesses through the Harm Reduction Unit.
We're told to call 999 if there's a crime in progress, while businesses can report a crime through 101 or online.