Shoplifting and theft offences across Cheshire have fallen by 10.2%, a stark contrast to the national picture, which has seen an increase over the past year.
Assistant Chief Constable Alison Ross said: “It’s clear to see from our figures that we do not operate any form of “shoplifting threshold”. Every offence reported is assessed on its merits, investigated proportionately, and pursued where the evidence allows.
“Just recently, we launched Operation Watchmaker, a multi-agency partnership targeting retail crime and shoplifting, as part of our ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal activity across the county.
“During the operation, retailers were encouraged to join the force’s ‘Report and Support’ campaign. This involves retailers not only reporting incidents of shoplifting and other crime but also supporting the police investigation by ensuring all visual evidence captured on CCTV or security staff’s body-worn cameras is submitted to police. Officers can then use retrospective facial recognition technology to help identify those involved and hold them accountable. The Constabulary also recently deployed live facial recognition for the first time in Chester City centre to assist with this type of crime.
“We will continue with our commitment to tackling shoplifting and retail crime, reflecting the hard work of Cheshire Police officers and staff, who are continuing to make this county hostile to criminals.”
