With shops getting busier over the festive period, Devon and Cornwall Police are tackling shoplifting and encouraging local businesses to report any incidents.

Theft, particularly shoplifting, is not a victimless crime. Devon & Cornwall Police will be working with businesses throughout this festive period to create safe shopping environments.

Collaboration is the key to addressing shoplifting.

Uniformed officers will be out and about in town centres, at night shopping events and Christmas markets in the run up to Christmas, working closely with Community Safety partners, local council CCTV and members from the local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), to identify prolific shoplifters, theft hotspots and engage with local businesses.

It’s crucial that every shoplifting incident is reported to the police so action can be taken.

Joe Champness, the crime prevention lead for Devon & Cornwall Police said: “We are aware how much shoplifting can impact our business communities and we are urging business owners to report incidents to us as it helps create a profile and understand where our resources are best placed.

“We use that information to coordinate our response in dealing with those causing the most harm and risk.

“Our objective is to engage with local businesses to better understand the issues affecting them, highlight the work already taking place to support retailers and encourage the reporting of crime. By working together, we can help reduce shoplifting.”

Latest crime figures show that shoplifting has increased nationally by 37 per cent.

In a bid to reduce shoplifting in Devon & Cornwall, local neighbourhood teams are regularly engaging with retailers and local agencies, conducting plain clothes operations and visible patrols in shoplifting hotspots.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “I know that shoplifting is a real issue across our two counties, with traders often telling me and my team about the difficulty of dealing with the financial and emotional consequences of theft.

“This is why I have made theft in our towns and cities a priority in my next Police and Crime Plan, asking Devon & Cornwall Police to have an increased focus on reducing theft and shoplifting on our high streets.

“I welcome this operation by our local policing teams to help our business community to feel safe and I join them in encouraging traders to report crime every single time to help police build a true picture of offending and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”

For more information about crime prevention you can visit the Devon & Cornwall Police website.

You can report shoplifting to us either online or via our 101 non-emergency service, or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

Crimestoppers have been around since 1988 starting as the Community Action Trust with a simple phone line.

People called the team and they listened; they took information about crime, stripped it of any information that could identify the person making the call, and passed it to the police.

They became Crimestoppers in 1995, and still get lots of phone calls, but most of the information comes in online to the national Contact Centre.