Ten arrested during Wolverhampton crime crackdown targeting shoplifters
A crackdown on retail crime by police officers in Wolverhampton has been taking place, with 10 people having been arrested.
Shop thefts have become a priority for the teams across Wolverhampton, and over the last two weeks 10 people have been arrested and charged with offences in the Wednesfield and Bilston areas.
Scott England was arrested on Sunday following a theft from a store in Wednesfield and charged with a total of 15 theft offences involving the stealing of hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
The 44-year-old was due at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on Monday, although no details are available of his appearance.
Another man, Robert Brady-Ward, aged 34, has been charged with 14 theft offences since February following his arrest in Willenhall on Thursday.
Sgt Emma Clark, from Bilston and Wednesfield Police, said: "Over the last couple of weeks, 10 men and women have been arrested and charged with thefts, covering dozens of offences at shops and convenience stores in the area.
"We're keeping the pressure up with regular targeted patrols in the shopping centres and precincts to act as a deterrent and we're also acting on information from the public as we send a clear message that those who carry out shops thefts will be pursued and brought before the courts."
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: "We also understand that some offending is driven by addiction and West Midland Police's innovative Offending to Recovery scheme has expanding into Wolverhampton as part of our ongoing work to crack down on retail crime in the city.
"Our local Offending to Recovery officer PC Kidson works closely with custody to engage with offenders who are committing crime to fund an addiction.
"The O2R programme accepts referrals from retailers and members of the public who are concerned about someone's substance use funded by criminal activity such as shop theft.
"We work with drug and alcohol practitioners and a number of charities to provide intervention after enforcement, reducing the chance of reoffending.
"If you have information that could help our on-going work to curb shop thefts, call 101."
