Crime-hit Corby BP garage finally employs security guards following Northants Telegraph investigation

A garage hit by shoplifters nearly 200 times in a year has finally employed security guards following a Northants Telegraph investigation.

This newspaper revealed on Friday that the BP Fourways Garage was helping to fuel the town’s drugs trade as local addicts targeted it for shoplifting sprees.

A video shot by a member of the public showing two thieves brazenly walking into the garage and filling their boots with expensive products went viral a week earlier.

Corby Police had held several unsuccessful meetings with BP bosses during the past year to persuade them to install proper security at the shop to deter the thieves. Officers were having to visit the shop seven or eight times on some days after it was repeatedly targeted.

And on Monday (February 20), just one working day after the Northants Telegraph’s story appeared online, two security guards finally arrived on site to ensure that the Cottingham Road garage was no longer an easy mark.

The two Security Industry Authority-registered employees have been at their post since Monday lunchtime.

A Northants Police spokeswoman said: “We are really pleased to hear that security has now been employed at this location and we hope that this measure will make the store a safer place for both the staff and the customers.

“Tackling the issues that affect our local communities is what neighbourhood policing is all about and we hope this result demonstrates our commitment to that aim.”

Last week a BP spokesman said the firm wouldn’t comment on security arrangements at individual stores but that safety was its highest priority.