Urgent call for police to tackle rising retail crime
By Julie Waters
BANGOR retailers are battling a shoplifting ‘pandemic’ and have issued an urgent appeal for police help to save their livelihoods.
Organised retail crime gangs and thieves working alone are costing local traders hundreds of pounds a day leaving one Bangor City centre store manager to describe the situation as a ‘shoplifting nightmare’.
Frustrated staff, who are regularly barring shoplifters, many of them elderly, from their stores are now appealing for higher visibility policing to deter criminality and increase detection.
Local police have identified three hot spot shoplifting areas including the city centre, the Bloomfield ward and Ballygrainey ward which includes Balloo industrial park.
According to one local shop manager, staff who challenge shoplifters often face verbal abuse and stores are struggling with ‘colossal’ financial loss, against a backdrop of rising costs and inflation.
Frank Shivers, the newly elected Bangor Chamber of Commerce President, has also raised retail crime concerns with Ards and North Down police chief, Superintendent Johnston McDowell.
According to Mr Shivers, the chamber will be running a retail crime initiative later in June with local police in a bid to reassure traders and tackle the shoplifting rise.
Addressing public concerns, a local police spokesman stated the dedicated neighbourhood team and crime prevention officers were committed to tackling retail crime.
“We want business owners and retailers across Ards and North Down to know that we are here to support them and offer helpful advice on how they can protect themselves against criminals,” he said.
He said the impact of retail crime on business owners and retailers, their staff and the wider local community is ‘significant’ and ‘at a time when so many are facing financial pressure, it’s important everyone in the community works together’ to tackle this issue.
“Officers will continue to work with our partners in our local Policing Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) on the Business Watch scheme, which includes a Safe Shop initiative to provide retail and security staff with the knowledge and confidence to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour in their workplace.
“In addition to this, we will continue to utilise the service-wide operation titled Op Exposure, whereby suitable CCTV images are posted on our Facebook page to identify individuals who may be able to assist with our police enquiries into various incidents.
“In the last three months, there have been nine Op Exposure appeals, and eight of those appeals were for shoplifting offences. Five out of the eight appeals resulted in identification thanks to assistance from the public.”
“We’re urging all business owners, employees and members of the public, to report business crime to police as soon as possible. The sooner reports are made to us, we can investigate and build a picture or pattern of any offending, and coordinate our resources to tackle the issue.
“Reports made to police are very important and will be actioned by the team, so please get in touch if you become aware of individuals acting suspiciously inside a retail premises.”
