Thirty-one people have been arrested and five people have been given custodial sentences following a dedicated police operation to tackle a significant rise in shoplifting in the St Albans district.
A Community Protection Warning has also been issued and a Criminal Behaviour Order, which if breached can result in a prison sentence, as well as 22 Community Resolutions.
A dedicated anti-shoplifting team was set up in October in response to high levels of thefts from shops across the district and statistically thefts go up in the run-up to Christmas.
“We’ve had some great results,” said St Albans District Chief Inspector Martin Turpin. “We have made St Albans a hostile environment for thieves. The people who have been given custodial sentences are often repeat offenders and with CCTV in most shops, it’s hard to hide.
“People often think it is a victimless crime, but shoplifting has an impact on all of us as prices have to be increased by shops to cover their costs.”
The team works alongside high-visibility neighbourhood policing officers and security staff at shops in St Albans city centre, Colney Fields Shopping Centre in London Colney and local shops including the Co-op in Cell Barnes Lane to target known prolific offenders and opportunist thieves.
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