Dedicated Dudley police team report arrest of shop thief every day
The team focusses on thefts from shops and businesses across Dudley.
A specialist police team has reported being able to make an arrest of a shop thief each day in Dudley as it focusses on thefts from shops and businesses.
The Local Action Team, known as the LAT team, is made up of two Sergeants and 14 PCs, with West Midlands Police saying they are there to disrupt criminal behaviour, protect vulnerable people, develop intelligence and tackle crime and disorder in the borough.
The team work in a variety of ways including carrying out warrants, making arrests and responding to emerging issues the community are facing.
They also bolster the boroughs Response Unit when needed and support neighbourhood officers with operations and warrants.
Focussing on those committing thefts from shops and businesses, since April this year, the team have arrested a suspect every day with two out of three suspects being put before the courts or dealt with through the criminal justice system.
The team have made 198 arrests since April, including making 36 arrests in the month of August.
Across the whole of the borough a total of 323 arrests for theft from shops and stalls have been made by all the teams including Response and neighbourhood.
Neighbourhood Chief Inspector for Dudley, Bryn Robins, said: “We know the impact shop thefts have on our local businesses, owners and the whole community and we will always try to do everything in our power to find those responsible.
“The work the LAT team do is important in cracking down on those committing crime and causing issues for those working and trying to make a living in the community.
“They have also achieved a number of criminal behaviour orders against prolific offenders in the last year.
“Our work tackling shop theft and keeping our community safe is a priority for us, but we need your continued support.
“We can only investigate and act on the crimes we know about so would ask if your business is targeted by shop thieves contact us and make a report.
“The more information we have and the quicker crimes are reported, the easier it is for us to investigate and work to identify those responsible.”