Cut-out coppers fight crime in Lynn
CARDBOARD cut-out police officers have joined the fight against opportunist shoplifters who have been targeting Lynn's increasingly prosperous town centre.
The life-size figures are now being used throughout stores in a bid to deter the shoplifters who have been attracted to a town centre which has enjoyed a significant boom in the past year.
Footfall figures from December 4 to December 10 revealed a 22.3 per cent rise in the number of people visiting Lynn compared to the same time last year, rising from 122,063 in 2006 to 149,360 in 2007.
In light of the figures police have been working alongside Lynn Town Centre Partnership on a number of initiatives aimed at protecting stores from shoplifters.
One of the first shops to take advantage of the new "officers" is Boots, in Lynn's High Street.
Store manager Dave Gunner told the Lynn News: "They certainly have been an effective deterrent in other towns and the reaction from our customers has been very positive, they are extremely life-like.
"If we are talking about hardened criminals it would not work, but if someone is looking at shoplifting on the off chance they may see this and think about their actions. It is a deterrent.
"We are absolutely behind this. My belief is that this has worked and it is all about giving people the chance to think again before taking the chance."
The three "officers" have also been used in a number of other stores including Woolworths, Morrisons and Tesco.
Sainsbury's, in St Dominic's Square, is another to have benefited from the scheme after a cut-out "officer" was placed in the supermarket in the two weeks before Christmas.
Duty manager Paul Hotson said: "Although it is a cardboard cut-out they are so life-like. I think they serve as a reminder to people, but it has also been good to see so many PCSOs in the town centre over Christmas.
"Hand-in-hand this has been working and it is about being more responsive to petty crime, which is not pleasant for anyone.
"You can never fully track shoplifting and it is very difficult to say if it is up or down, it is something that always goes on but anything like this can help."
Similar schemes have already been used elsewhere in the country, with particular success noted in parts of Derbyshire, where ten cut-out "officers" were used earlier this year.
Police in Lynn have also encouraged retailers to intervene with potential shoplifters early to help reduce officer and staff time, while posters have been translated into the region's five most common languages to warn shoplifters they are being targeted by officers and will face prosecution.
A police spokesman said: "Officers in Lynn town centre consistently work in partnership with the local retail community to reduce incidents and deal positively with those caught.
"We are always looking for new and innovative ways to tackle shop theft.
"We would take this opportunity to remind members of the public that shop theft costs us all and if you see an offence being committed you should report it straight away to a member of shop staff, a uniformed security person or police."
Crime figures for December have revealed there were 67 incidents of shop theft in the town centre, of which 49 were detected, meaning 73 per cent of offenders were dealt with positively by police.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
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