40 arrests and 88 shoplifting charges during South Yorkshire police clampdown

South Yorkshire Police supported Safer Business Action (SaBA) Week - a coordinated week of action which saw officers join forces with key partners to target shoplifters and offer vital crime prevention advice to retailers.

The week of action supports the work police do all year round to tackle shoplifting and it led to 43 arrests and a total of 88 shoplifting charges being secured in Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster over the course of the week.

A number of proactive operations and high visibility patrols were carried out as part of the activity, with 34 pop-up stalls in shops across Sheffield allowing members of the public and retail workers to engage with officers during SaBA Week.

During SaBA Week, police were also able to expand the network of partners committed to tackling crime as part of the South Yorkshire Business Crime Charter which has been created to ensure a robust partnership approach in place to crack down on retail crime.

Inspector Kay Fitzgerald, who is SYP’s lead for retail crime, said: "To secure almost 90 theft charges against suspected shoplifters in South Yorkshire over the course of the week of action is a fantastic result.

"Retail crime remains a complex issue for forces nationwide but in South Yorkshire we remain steadfast in our dedication to ensure that perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice.

"The notion that shoplifting is a victimless crime with no impact on anyone is completely false. We see first-hand just how abusing and threatening some shoplifters can be and we will not allow them to make retail workers feel unsafe in the workplace.

"It is also great to see our Business Crime Charter up and running and we were delighted to expand the network of stakeholders involved by encouraging Boots and Tesco to sign up to it.

"The more businesses that sign up to this Charter, the more we can work together to share crucial information and intelligence on prolific offenders, while also sharing key crime prevention advice to keep stores protected from thieves.

"I hope the results of Safer Business Action Week sends out the clearest message yet that shoplifting won't be tolerated in South Yorkshire.

"If you are committing these crimes, the cameras are watching you and you will be brought before the courts and punished."

If you own a business in South Yorkshire and want to sign up to or hear more about the South Yorkshire Business Crime Charter, please email [email protected].