Police empowering shop staff to target criminals in Hucknall, Kirkby and Sutton
Police officers are visiting dozens of shops in Hucknall, Kirkby and Sutton in a bid to help retailers fight back against crime.
Shop staff are being advised about CCTV management, the effective use of witness statements, and the importance of retaining evidence.
The idea is to streamline the process of dealing with shoplifters and other offenders – ensuring officers have all the evidence they need to bring swift charges.
Inspector Chris Boylin, district commander for Ashfield, said: “Shoplifting and antisocial behaviour are priority areas for us to tackle, which is why we are asking shop staff to help in this way.
“These offences are a blight on our town centres and we know put people off from spending their time and money in these areas.
“That is totally unacceptable and isn’t something we will tolerate.
“This initiative is about empowering our retailers to respond in the most effective way when they are targeted.
“With that in mind my officers are currently issuing template witness statements which can very quickly be returned to us.
“They are also checking on stores’ CCTV systems and ensuring staff know how to download and send footage to us.”
In most cases the police can only keep an arrested person in custody for 24 hours before they have to release them back into the community.
The idea of this initiative is to ensure that time is sufficient to gather all necessary evidence and ensure criminal charges are brought.
Local officers are also working to target repeat offenders with restrictive civil court orders which can prevent them doing certain things or ban them entirely from town centres.