Police have offered a behind the scenes look at their crackdown on shoplifting – from catching a couple who tried to steal £300 worth of goods, to uncovering a ‘weekly shop’ of stolen food. In a five-minute snapshot video filmed days before Christmas, Warwickshire Police officers are seen stopping thieves across Leamington.
The force issued the video above as a message to criminals, warning: “We are everywhere.” Through intelligence from CCTV and local security guards, the officers can be seen reacting to live shoplifting crimes at supermarkets and shopping precincts in the area.
Police are seen racing to the scene on blue lights as they work to stop a vehicle involved in £250 worth of theft. In the dramatic scenes, an officer unloads a boot-full of a “week’s shopping” – ranging from a whole chicken, meat and vegetables.
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Sgt Ben said: “We stopped the vehicle, got the stolen property, we’ve identified who was involved and they will receive a court date in the post. By being out there and being reactive to the information that we’re getting passed by our partners. We can take decisive policing action when we need to.
“The message we want to get out there is we are everywhere and you never know when we’re going to crop up.” In another scene, police are tracking down an offender who has “tried to push a trolley full of £300 worth of items out of a shop in Leamington.”
The supermarket had called police, with the officers then trying to work out the direction of the vehicle involved for an interception. The officers meet up with another team, who have stopped a driver with a huge bag full of meat they hope to take back to the supermarket.
On the operation, Warwickshire Police said: “Join us out on patrol with the Investigation Standards and Outcomes Team, who use plain-clothes operations to tackle shop theft and retail crime.
“The team pick up the tail of a car of shoplifters who tried to take £300 worth of goods and were now heading out of the county, catch up with a couple who thought they could raid a local supermarket, and join their colleagues who have found a Santa’s sack-full of stolen meat outside a shopping precinct in Leamington.”