New police operation underway to tackle increase in shop thefts at Giltbrook Retail Park

Operation Fargo will see police conducting plain clothes and high visibility patrols on site and at stores on the retail park starting this week and continuing over the forthcoming weeks and months.

Over the last year, there has been a significant increase in the number of shop thefts at several stores at Giltbrook Retail Park.

Police have also described a “worrying” rise in the number of incidents of violence and abuse against shop staff and are now determined to reduce this and reassure staff and customers of their safety.

Recent figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in 2021 highlight the scale of violence and abuse faced by retail staff nationally.

The survey shows there were 455 incidents of violence or abuse each day in 2019/20, up 7% from 2018/19.

The findings also show that the total cost to retailers of crime and crime prevention was £2.5 billion, an increase of 14% on the previous year (£2.2 billion).

The most significant part of this was customer theft, which cost companies £935million. This rise comes despite retailers continuing to spend record sums of £1.2 billion on crime prevention.

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson added: “Remember, inevitably, these costs are passed on to us, the consumer, by way of increased prices on the goods we buy.

“Therefore please be vigilant when out shopping and report any suspicious activity to shop staff.”

Contact police on 101 or, in case of an emergency, always call 999.