Every little helps - Walsall officers make arrests and advise Tesco staff in clampdown on shoplifters
Walsall neighbourhood police officers have made number of arrests as they took part in a joint partnership operation alongside Tesco in a bid to clampdown on shop thefts and business crime
The St Matthew’s team took part in the operation on Tuesday (15 July) as part of #SaferStreetsSummer, a national initiative which runs until the end of September and sees officers work with security store staff to identify prolific offenders who steal from shops and carry out anti-social behaviour.
During the operation a man and a woman were arrested and taken into custody for public order offences.
Anti-social behaviour including aggressive begging was also targeted by the team who handed out Community Protection Notices.
Matthew Walker, aged 34, from Walsall, was then charged with two counts of using threatening or abusive and insulting words or behaviour with intention to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence.
Kelly Johnson, also aged 34, from Walsall, was handed the same charges. Both will appear at Dudley Magistrates Court on 31 July for a first hearing.
Business crime neighbourhood officer PC Courtney Tongue has been educating Tesco security staff at the store, on Littleton Street, on the process of reporting crime and the importance of using body worn footage to capture evidence of offending.
David Woods, neighbourhood policing supervisor, for St Matthew’s team, said: “Over the last year we have worked closely to develop a relationship with Tesco to prevent and detect crime.
"Protecting the public is our number one priority. We want members of our community to feel safe when shopping in Walsall, free from fear and intimidation.
“We will continue to work closely with partner agencies and businesses to make Walsall town centre a better place.
“Thanks to individuals reporting their concerns to us, we are coming together to find new solutions to crack down on anti-social behaviour and people who carry out shop thefts.”
For information about business crime go to Business crime prevention | West Midlands Police
For more information about #SaferStreetsSummer go to Safer Streets Summer: Policing activity across the West Midlands | West Midlands Police
