The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette are launching a special campaign to raise awarenes of silent crimes in a special new series.
The focus of the campaign running across National World is to highlight those crimes that are often under reported and under investigated by the authorities.
New data shows shoplifting crimes in Lancashire have hit a record high with a 20 per cent increase year on year
The focus of the campaign running across National World is to highlight those crimes that are often under reported and under investigated by the authorities.
New data shows shoplifting crimes in Lancashire have hit a record high with a 20 per cent increase year on year
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, my name is Luke Patrick and I'm a reporter for the Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette.
00:05Lancashire is dealing with an epidemic of shoplifting and something needs to be done to stop the thieves from their tracks.
00:10This has been the general consensus for many businesses that I have spoken to across Lancashire.
00:17The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette are launching a new special campaign to raise awareness for silent crimes in a special new series.
00:28Take a look now at a brazen display of shoplifting by a man at a local vape shop at Preston bus station.
00:58So what issues have you had with shoplifting that you've experienced at the street entrance shop in Blackpool?
01:16We've had some, we haven't had a great deal but obviously when we've had incidents that we've had to call out bid or something like that they've been unavailable or not in the area.
01:26So we've normally had to dial 999 or the police but we normally can deal with it in house.
01:34Can you describe some of the incidents that you have had of shoplifting?
01:40We've had a customer come in with a knife and try and rob the shop.
01:44We've had people come in in a massive crowd, like 10 of them and trying to stick coats down their jackets.
01:51We're normally quite good and we're normally quite on that so we normally get it dealt with.
01:55What age are the people who are coming in or does it vary?
01:59There's no age, there's no age. Unfortunately we have to be on the ball, that's why we've got a lot of CCTV in here all through the building because we can keep an eye on it at the front of the building.
02:10How much does the security measures like the CCTV cost, how much does it cost in charity?
02:16It costs us over £1,500 for the full system. We've just recently upgraded four of the cameras to get better pictures.
02:22The back's now fully covered, the front's now fully covered and the till area's covered as well.
02:28So we're getting everybody's face as they come in. It takes a picture of everybody's face when they walk in the shop.
02:33We've had that put in because if there is somebody that's shoplifting quite a lot, the machine actually lets you know that they're a known shoplifter with the Neighbourhood Watch scheme that we're in.
02:44So it gives us a heads up at reception that we know we've got a shoplifter in the store.
02:48What's the Neighbourhood Watch scheme that you're involved in?
02:52I knew you were going to ask me that, I'm not quite sure what it's called. It's something to do with Neighbourhood Watch, I'm not quite sure, I wouldn't know.
03:01We work with the police. The lady called Emma, we work with the police and we give her information, she sends us information.
03:10Originally we used to work with the bid system as you know, but they're not fit for purpose unfortunately, I don't think they are, it's my personal opinion.
03:20When you need them they're not there, there's six of them all walking around together, they're not split up and covering it.
03:25I mean for me, I walk into a town with a day with four of them all in town and you're thinking you could have two up South Shore, two up North Shore, are you with me?
03:37So obviously that's, the point is having four of them all at once, do you know what I mean, you need them spread out.
03:44What would you like to see in place to help shops like this one to deal with shoplifting?
03:53I'd like to see more bid, I know it's a budgeting thing, but I'd like to see more of them.
03:58I mean very rarely see them walk up this way, they mainly deal with Town Centre, which is a scheme that's supposed to be out there for everyone.
04:06But obviously it's not something we get much of up this way and I've had this out at council meetings as well that I've been to and I've said for me the bid system is not fit for purpose.
04:18Right, how much money, could you put an estimate on how much money you think you've lost through shoplifting in recent weeks and months?
04:28We're a charity shop, so if somebody needs to come into a charity shop and steal, I wish they'd come and ask.
04:37Probably two or three hundred quid, it's not a great deal, it's more of the dealing with them at the door if we have to stop them.
04:44How do your staff feel? Do your staff feel safe working at this place with the shoplifting going on?
04:50I believe they feel safe. The CCTV, they've now got a telephone right next to the reception which we have moved for that reason.
05:00We can pick the phone up, we can dial 999 and I'll give the police the jewels, they're out in seconds.
05:04If we ring them, if I rang them now, they'd be out within less than two minutes, they'd be on the phone very, very quick.
05:11We had windows put through a few years back because we're part of LGBT but the police were in seconds.
05:21A spokesperson for the Lancashire Police has said we are working closely with retail to combat shoplifting which can only impact business bottom lines and pose a threat to shop staff.
05:30Neighbourhood officers have been working covertly for many months now and it's only achievable with the support from staff and retail stores.
05:38We will continue to deploy officers covertly and will give updates on arrests and sentencing.
05:43As an example of our successful work, on the 16th August 2004, officers were called to a store on Leatherham Road, Blackpool after reports were made of a woman taking food items from inside.
05:55She was later arrested and charged with 11 counts of shoplifting over two months.
05:59Kasey Swift with no fixed address has since been given an 11 month prison sentence and a criminal behaviour order which bans her from entering any Tesco or Tesla Express in the Blackpool area.