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Nothing Good About Stolen Goods Say Northants Police
| Author: Andy | Published: 27th February 2013 10:51 |
In the previous recording year the volume of recorded shoplifting offences was 3,215. This means that there will be a rise of almost 22 per cent for the current recording year.
Northamptonshire Police, in partnership with the Northampton Retail Crime Initiative (NRCI), is launching a poster campaign to highlight the problems of the bulk theft of goods from shops across the Northamptonshire area.
The campaign will consist of posters and drinks mats being displayed in public areas, cafes and bars.
The poster displays a ‘villain’ opening his jacket to display meat, cheese, razor blades and perfume for sale, with the message that there is nothing good about stolen goods.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage calls from the public who may have important information in an effort to identify both the thieves and, more importantly, those individuals who handle the stolen goods.
In Northamptonshire, the current number of recorded shop thefts since the beginning of last April is 3,920 and this figure is set to rise to around 4,200 by the end of March.
In the previous recording year the volume of recorded shoplifting offences was 3,215. This means that there will be a rise of almost 22 per cent for the current recording year.
The British Retail Consortium's retail crime survey shows that there are two million incidents of shoplifting a year in the UK retail sector as a whole, involving about £200 million worth of goods.
The average value of goods stolen rose during the last year by 28 per cent, to £109. In Northamptonshire, the average value of goods stolen is broadly in line with that figure.
Mike Brennan, the chair of the NRCI, said: “Systematic targeting of higher value goods by organised criminals is pushing up the cost of retail crime and makes the job of a retailer harder, damaging a store’s ability to trade and be a source of employment.”
Detective Superintendent Ivan Balhatchet, of Northamptonshire Police, added: “It is easy to dismiss shop theft as being a crime that is of little consequence but the high values involved point to organised criminality and also links to substance abuse of drink and drugs.”
Anyone with information should ring 101 and ask for the crime desk – alternatively, information can be phoned through to Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111, or it can be relayed through the website www.crimestoppers-uk.org
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