Lead: PPO Manager (Jeff Evans)
Deputy: Detective Chief Inspector (Rob Donaghy)
Having Emerging Issues as a key priority allows us to focus on crime and incidents of concern identified through data analysis. During the lifetime of the last Community Safety Plan the focus remained on Other Theft however the categories within this fluctuated and alternated mainly between shoplifting and theft of metals. During the summer months theft from garden sheds and of garden furniture increases.
What do we know about this issue?
Our yearly Partnership Strategic Assessment tells us that:
- Other Theft has increased its percentage of total crime by 2.9% in the strategic period and 28% of total recorded crime is made up of this category.
- The majority of offences within this category are shoplifting (38%). This is also the choice of crime for female young offenders.
- For shoplifting offences alcohol remains the preferred choice for consumable goods and is taken for consumption rather than for retail.
- Theft of heavy plant and other equipment in regeneration areas is an ongoing problem.
- Other theft has the highest level of repeat victimisation with a rate of 38%. Within the category shoplifting has a repeat victimisation rate of 63%, with 25% of commercial premises targeted on more than five occasions.
- There were small peaks in shoplifting offences in July and September and also on Stockton market days.
- All of our High Crime Causers are linked to theft offences and all are substance misusers.
What we will do.
We will:
- Maintain the approach of using the Police Priority Crime Team to investigate all Other Theft offences but in particular theft of metals and shoplifting.
- Maintain our use the IOM model to provide intensive support and enforcement work with a cohort of high crime causers managed by the IOM Strategy Group.
- Police crime prevention officers to continue to provide advice and support to retail stores and repeat locations for metal theft.
- Maintain support for the Retailers Against Crime group.
- Ensure that a brief intervention is carried out for all of those who are arrested for shoplifting involving alcohol and/or they are given details of support services.
- Reduce the number of convictions for high crime causers.