Kent Police has reported a successful Safer Business Action Week, resulting in numerous arrests and increased safety for local businesses.
Officers visited hundreds of stores across the county, providing crime prevention advice and listening to concerns from shop owners. In addition, plain clothes officers were deployed to identify and apprehend shoplifting suspects.
&w=1024&h=370&scale=both&mode=max)
The campaign, organized by the National Business Crime Centre, aimed to reduce the impact of business crime on Kent’s communities. Over 90 arrests were made for shoplifting and town centre antisocial behaviour, demonstrating the effectiveness of the police’s efforts.
Local businesses have expressed gratitude for the increased police presence and the valuable crime prevention advice received. As a result, Kent residents can feel more confident about shopping in their local areas knowing that law enforcement is actively working to combat crime.
During the week’s work:
• Officers spotted a car linked to bulk shoplifting near Whitstable on Friday 18 October. The vehicle was later stopped and found to contain a large number of packets of sweets. Four people from London who were inside were arrested and later charged with theft. The four were among 12 suspected shoplifters arrested in the Canterbury district on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 October.
• On Tuesday 15 October, police in Dartford arrested a woman behind the theft of alcohol from a shop in town. She was charged the following day and taken to court, where she was jailed for 180 days.
• Five suspected thieves were arrested in one day (Wednesday 16 October) by police in Thanet, one of whom was later charged with four counts of theft and four of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order. He was taken to court the following day and jailed for 28 weeks.
• On Friday 18 October, police in Sevenoaks saw a Jaguar car linked to the previous theft of fragrances from Boots in the town. The car was stopped and its occupant arrested. The vehicle was then seized due to suspected use in crime.
• Shops in Maidstone were among the hundreds of businesses visited during the week, with officers discussing the MaidSafe radio scheme with stores in The Mall. While in the area, the radio system led to a shoplifter at a nearby store being detained for the theft of perfume from B&M.
• More than 100 stores in Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Cranbrook and Paddock Wood were visited and given advice during the week, with eight arrests made.
• After hearing about a parcel stolen from outside a shop in Dover, a beat officer in the town later spotted a man he suspected of being involved. The man was arrested and contents of the stolen parcel were recovered.
Superintendent Pete Steenhuis said:
‘Police around Kent are completely committed to protecting businesses and their staff from the attention of criminals; be that shoplifters, fraudsters or those behind antisocial behaviour.
‘All year round, we take thieves off the streets, build strong cases against them and put them before the courts. We cannot do this without the help of shop staff, so developing good relationships, as we have been doing this week, is a key part of our work.
‘I am pleased to hear the good feedback from so many businesses and I hope the week’s activities contribute to our future work tackling crime and keeping people safe.’