13 arrests made across Northamptonshire during day of action against retail crime

More than a dozen arrests were made across Northamptonshire during a day of action against retail crime.

On Wednesday, March 20, Northamptonshire Police held a Safer Business Action Day, which saw patrols and community engagement in retail areas countywide, including work with members of Northampton Business Improvement District (BID) and the Northamptonshire Business Crime Partnership (NBCP), as well as visits to services and petrol stations by Roads Policing officers.

The day of action resulted in 13 arrests and the safeguarding of at least two vulnerable people met during visits. More than 50 officers across the force took part in activity during the action day, visiting 84 businesses.

Arrests included two people arrested on suspicion of theft from a lorry on the A14, four people arrested on suspicion of theft from a distribution centre, one person who was wanted on warrant for failing to appear in court for shoplifting, and six people arrested on suspicion of shop theft.

On Northampton’s Brackmills industrial estate, officers also distributed crime prevention kits funded by Brackmills BID to help prevent tool theft.

Chief Inspector Carl Wilson, the force lead for tackling retail crime, said: “We had so much going on across Northamptonshire as part of our Safer Business Action Day, and it was great to see all the engagement and results this brought.

“This activity is part and parcel of the daily business of policing, but putting this extra focus on retail crime helps to demonstrate our commitment to tackling and preventing it, as well as supporting our retail communities.

“Our work helps reduce crime in lots of other ways, as those responsible for retail offending are often also involved in drug-related and other acquisitive crime. Bringing them to justice protects our communities, with the support offered through the court sentencing process also helping those in need of help to break the cycle of offending.

“I’m really pleased with the positive feedback we got during the day, and am excited to see the continued benefits of our work when our new Retail Crime Team, which has developed out of our innovative partnership work under Operation Elegance, hits the ground running on Monday.”