Plain-clothed officers are patrolling businesses across Guildford and Waverley as part of a new crackdown on retail crime in Surrey.
The Behavioural Detection Officers, who are trained to spot suspicious behaviour, joined uniformed colleagues for a week-long operation targeting shop theft across both boroughs.
Retail staff were also visited by officers and PCSOs during the initiative, which aims to drive down offences, provide advice to retail workers and reassure the business community.
Over the course of the week, eight people were arrested for theft offences, and four charged and remanded to court.
Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, joined patrols in Guildford and Farncombe this month.
The Commissioner has vowed a return to “back-to-basics policing” in her Police and Crime Plan, a blueprint for the Force’s priorities over the next three years.
The Plan launched as the Force celebrates some significant recent successes.
This month, six thieves who travelled across the south of England stealing more than £130,0000-worth of goods from supermarkets were sentenced after Surrey PC Ben Marshall unravelled two years of offending.
Meanwhile, a targeted partnership initiative in Redhill has resulted in 155 arrests, including for retail theft, while a prolific shoplifter was held in the north of the county in January.
In the past 12 months, shoplifting charges have increased four-fold, with 876 more offences charged across the county.
Force’s success
Lisa said: “The progress we have seen over the course of the year has been really impressive, and Surrey Police is now one of the fastest-improving forces in the country.
“But I have heard, loud and clear, that more must be done to tackle retail crime.
“During patrols in Farncombe and Guildford this month, I spoke with retailers, officers, PCSOs and residents about the scale of the problem.
“I am in no doubt that retail crime has a significant impact to its victims, who are caused financial, emotional, and sometimes physical harm.
“Shoplifters are warned”
“This type of offending also harms wider communities, resulting in people feeling less safe.
“The campaign I have joined uses plain-clothed officers who blend in with the public to spot suspicious behaviour and halt offenders in their tracks.
“Shoplifters are warned – the person browsing the aisle beside them could be a Surrey Police officer.
“Our teams are committed to tackling retail crime and subjecting offenders to the full force of the law.”
Survey closes
A survey on the impact of retail crime has now closed.
More than 200 members of the business community had their say as part of the poll, which was launched by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and Surrey Police in March.
A report on retail crime and the Force’s response will be published by the OPCC in the coming months.