Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has been selected as one of the first 16 police forces in the country to take part in a major new crackdown targeting around 500 of Britain’s most prolific shoplifters.
The 12-month pilot scheme, launched by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, will see police forces intensify their efforts against repeat retail crime offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of theft from shops.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary is among the forces invited to take part in the initial phase, alongside the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police and West Midlands Police.
Under the initiative, prolific offenders could be banned from high streets and town centres, fitted with GPS tags or subjected to closer monitoring through the courts.
Police, probation services and other agencies will work together on individual plans for offenders, bringing together evidence of multiple crimes to help secure stronger cases in court. The programme will also seek to tackle underlying causes of offending, including drug and alcohol addiction, in an attempt to prevent repeat offences.
The Isle of Wight is no stranger to such prolific offenders, with repeat offenders including Warren Russell, who has amassed 74 convictions for 231 offences, and Kevin Greenwood, with 56 convictions for 102 offences. Other well-known offenders include Daniel Kilshaw, with more than 39 convictions for 79 offences, Timothy Young, who has over 40 convictions, and Stephen Durkin with more than 30.
The number of offenders who will be targeted specifically across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has not been confirmed.
An initial £2.5million in funding will be made available nationally to support participating police forces and their local partners, with resources tailored to individual areas.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said:
“A small number of offenders commit a disproportionate amount of shop theft. They wreak havoc on our high streets, leave businesses out of pocket and make retail workers scared to go to work.
“Under this Government, shop theft is starting to fall, and more offenders are getting charged. Now we are going further by targeting those who are causing so much harm to our communities and stopping them in their tracks.”
The new scheme will run for 12 months, with an initial review after 6 months to assess its effectiveness and identify which approaches are most successful at reducing repeat offending.
