From crime to court: How Essex Police fast-tracking shop theft cases [Exclusive]

Retail crime may be hitting record highs across England and Wales, but for convenience retailers, this is no abstract statistic debated in policy circles or buried in crime reports. It is a daily, grinding reality, one that eats into margins, erodes staff confidence and leaves many store owners questioning whether the system is still working for them.

Official ONS figures show more than half a million shoplifting offences were recorded in the past year alone, with many more expected to go unreported.

When it comes to regional trends, the problem is most visible in major urban centres such as parts of the Midlands, Greater Manchester and inner London boroughs, where repeat offending and organised theft have become deeply entrenched.

Essex, while recording a lower shoplifting rate per head than many large metropolitan forces, is by no means immune. The county is also facing the same upward pressure and the same criminal behaviour.

However, what sets Essex apart is not the absence of the problem but the response.

Acknowledging the increasing problem of retail crime, Essex Police last year revamped its approach to effectively and speedily tackle shop theft.

At the centre of this shift is Operation Retail, a practical, evidence-led system designed to move cases through the courts faster, reduce wasted police time and, crucially, give retailers confidence that reporting crime leads to action.

Asian Trader sat down with Essex Police Inspector Terry Jacobs, who heads up the Essex Police Business Crime Team, to explore the scale of the challenge, the policing tactics in play, and what retailers can realistically do.

“Our approach to shop theft has always been to investigate reports and seek to secure charges where we have enough evidence to put before a court, such as identification of the suspect, witness accounts, clear CCTV footage and detailed lists of goods stolen.

“However, Operation Retail is a new way of dealing with suspects where police already have this evidence,” Inspector Jacobs said.

“Now, instead of arresting and interviewing someone whose identity and actions are already clear, police can simply send a postal requisition (a letter) to them, informing them of what they have been charged with and the date of their court hearing.”

Faster justice

Since the implementation of Operation Retail from April 2025, suspects named in shop theft cases can be summonsed straight to magistrates’ court without arrest or interview.

If the suspect is identified and the evidence is strong, officers will consider the Operation Retail pathway. The suspect will be offered the opportunity to be interviewed by police and receive legal advice if they wish.

If the suspect declines, then the investigating officer will go on to prepare a case file with the evidence and a supervisor will then make a decision to charge for shop theft.

A postal requisition is sent, requiring the defendant to attend court on a certain date, where they will be asked to plead guilty or not guilty to the charges.

On conviction – where the defendant has either admitted the charges or has been found guilty after a trial – prosecutors may apply for criminal behaviour orders (CBO).

“Of course, if our officers do not have enough evidence to secure charges at the time they attend a report of shop theft, or the suspect is not present, then they will continue to investigate in the usual way, which can include arresting a suspect and interviewing them in custody,” he said.

Essex Police Inspector Terry JacobsImage from Essex Police

On conviction, courts may impose CBOs, which can include conditions not to enter particular shops or retail chains and requirements to attend drink and drug treatment sessions.

“Essex Police has led the way in using CBOs to tackle shop theft. While the decision to impose them is made by the court, our officers can ask for various conditions to be included.

“Typically, these will include bans from entering targeted shops or store chains. But we often also seek positive conditions, such as requiring the offender to engage with addiction support services,” he said.

CBOs usually last for between two and five years and anyone breaking the conditions can be arrested and face fines or a jail term.

Since the launch of Operation Retail, Essex Police has been able to move shoplifting suspects to court faster. The numbers are speaking for themselves.

The operation began on April 1 last year and, in its first six months, 284 suspects were dealt with this way.

Inspector Jacobs added, “It is difficult to provide the total number of shop theft charges our officers secured during these six months because, if a person is arrested, they may be bailed or released under investigation to allow further inquiries to be made before they are charged or, in a small proportion of cases, no further action (NFA) is taken.

“There is no specific time period for this so some charges laid will relate to arrests made before 1 April and some people arrested before 30 September won’t have been charged, or NFA’d, yet.

“However, I can tell you that we secured 930 charges through the Operation Retail process in this time, which also supported our officers in solving 565 more shop thefts compared with the same period in 2024.”

The initiative also saved 1,732 officer hours – more than ten weeks – by freeing them up from custody duties and time spent on investigating individual offences.

Another key part of Essex’s approach is improving real-time information sharing with retailers through a recently launched app called Alert, which as Inspector Jacobs put it, “has improved real-time intelligence-sharing" and has also “fostered stronger relationships between businesses and police” in the county.

Inspector added, “The app also streamlines investigations by allowing businesses to upload suspect images, which aids officers in searching for and locating them more quickly.

“Beyond detection, the Alert app assists us with crime prevention because our officers can use it to issue specialist and specific advice, or warn of emerging crime trends in an area, such as a rise in the circulation of counterfeit currency.”

Protecting the vulnerable convenience

With fewer staff, longer opening hours and quicker escape routes for offenders, independent convenience stores remain disproportionately exposed.

Inspector Jacobs acknowledged this reality, pointing out that the highest levels of theft are seen in convenience stores and petrol-station shops, where offenders can move quickly and staff are often working alone.

"Goods most frequently targeted are usually items with a high re-sale value, are easy to conceal and easy to sell for cash, such as baby formula, razor blades, meat, spirits and household detergents,” he shared.

He also challenged the assumption that rising inflation alone is the cause of surge in theft.

“Retail crime is evolving beyond opportunistic theft. Organised groups are increasingly stealing in bulk to feed a re-sale market, which means our prevention focuses both on store security and disrupting those re-sale channels.

“Here in Essex, we regularly see people stealing to fund addiction issues. Clearly, tackling the causes of addiction is the solution to diverting that type of offender from committing crime,” he said.

“Equally, we’ve seen a rise in ‘middle class shoplifting’. With recent food inflation and an increase in self-checkouts, we see offenders paying for some of their shopping but passing other items around the scanner because they feel they still deserve their ‘treats’ despite no longer being able to afford them.

“Sadly, as is evidenced by the rise in food banks in local communities, there are also those who are experiencing food poverty and who say they steal out of necessity,” he said.

However, Essex Police assured Asian Trader that it understands the problems that independent convenience retailers are facing.

“We know small, independent businesses don’t have big budgets. Our Business Crime Team undertakes security visits, providing specialised advice on low-cost fixes and information on how businesses can join local shop radio and CCTV networks, if they are available, and set up WhatsApp groups between themselves,” he stated.

Image from Essex Police

Inspector Jacobs also stressed the importance of simple in-store changes that can significantly reduce opportunities for theft.

“We recommend practical, low-cost steps that make a big difference. For smaller businesses, that means positioning CCTV cameras at face level near entrances, keeping high-value items, such as baby formula and razors, in clear sight of staff and joining local shop radio or CCTV schemes, or forming WhatsApp groups, to share real-time warnings and information.

“We also stress the importance of enabling staff to make police statements after an incident and of supplying us with clear CCTV footage and details of what has been stolen, together with its value.

“Whether we use the Operation Retail process or not, the sooner this information is provided, the better the chances of a good outcome in court,” he said.

Inspector Jacobs stressed retailers should strengthen local collaboration.

“If you don’t have a local retailers’ WhatsApp group, why not set one up and invite others to join you? These all enable you to warn fellow retailers about known offenders in your area and to share information with them and police,” he suggested.

“And, if you’re dealing with persistent offenders, please do provide police with statements about the impact on your business and your staff. These are crucial to securing court-imposed criminal behaviour orders which help to keep repeat thieves out of your store.”

Report it, every time

With losses mounting and staff morale under pressure, independent retailers often find themselves asking whether reporting each crime and doing all the police formalities are even worth the effort anymore.

Inspector Jacobs begs to differ here.

“Please, always report every incident of shop theft to police promptly. Provide officers with clear CCTV footage of what has happened and allow your staff the time to give them witness statements.

“Quick reporting helps us to understand emerging trends, to identify problem areas or goods being targeted and to build stronger cases to take to court,” he said.

Lastly, Inspector Jacobs also issued a firm warning to retailers about inadvertently fuelling the stolen goods market.

“Sadly, we sometimes find small retailers and grocers enable the re-sale market by buying cheap, stolen stock from thieves.

“Our Business Crime Team works to close off this outlet by encouraging them to sign our Operation Pedlar pledge not to buy or sell stolen items but to report suspicious activity to police instead,” he explained.

With the gained momentum, retailer cooperation and advancement in tech, Essex Police seems confident in the tackling this crime problem.

“In Essex we are always reviewing opportunities to improve the way we do things – Operation Retail being a prime example,” Inspector Jacobs concluded.

By prioritising speed, evidence and collaboration, Essex Police is indeed signalling a shift.

Operation Retail or the Alert app may not eliminate shoplifting overnight, but in a climate where many retailers feel abandoned, Essex Police is offering something increasingly rare, which is a policing model that listens, adapts and treats retail crime as the serious business threat it truly is.