Is West Norfolk in a ‘good place’ when it comes to tackling shoplifting? We investigate offending in King’s Lynn and Downham Market
Is West Norfolk in a “good place” when it comes to dealing with shoplifting?
Businesses in Lynn have praised police officers for their quick response when facing the issue.
Meanwhile, shop workers in another West Norfolk town have described seeing fewer shoplifters, but a rise in teenagers causing havoc.
In this feature, we take a look at what is being done to deter prolific offenders from stealing, and whether they are being punished enough…
‘We are really lucky with the police here’
In Lynn, a well-oiled machine of police officers, street rangers, and business owners work together when they see a prolific offender looking suspicious around town.
Statistics prove that this is the case, with 70% of retail thefts in the past three months ending in positive outcomes. These could range from a thief being charged to a community resolution.
The national average in positive outcomes measures between 20 and 30%.
I went for a walk around Lynn town centre with Inspector Ben Jarvis, who explained that most commonly, familiar faces are pinching items from the shelves, often to fund an alcohol or drug addiction.
Occasionally, gangs from outside of West Norfolk will swoop in and attempt to rob stores.
However, thanks to businesses in the town being able to warn others that a potential shoplifter is in the area, a thief’s plans are often ruined.
Police, street rangers and business owners are in communication with each other quickly if an incident occurs.
“Lynn is different to other places in some respects, because there are a lot of local people who are recognised because they're repeat offenders,” Insp Jarvis said.
“Having that relationship with everybody and sharing that information makes it much easier to identify people and either deter them or detect that crime at the earliest possible opportunity.
“I certainly feel everyone is doing their bit to make Lynn as hostile as possible and inhospitable for those who want to go out and steal.”
Business owners in Lynn praised how offenders are soon dealt with.
Zoe Ridge owns Designs clothes shop on New Conduit Street, where Sasha Coleby is the store manager. Zoe said: “Everybody works together really well to deter thieves”.
They agreed that other towns could use Lynn as a business model to prevent shoplifters.
“We only have to put an announcement on our radio and somebody will be with us in minutes,” Sasha said.
“I think we are really lucky with the police here. Not all areas have as much support as Lynn does.
“Whatever the theft, they come out. The police deserve some recognition. They always check on us to see if we are alright.”
Zoe added that chains in town, including Boots, B&M and Sainsbury’s, are often targeted by shoplifters for higher-priced items.
“That is where they hit big time,” she said.
“They mainly do that for professional gains, or regular addicts doing it to fund an addiction.
“They are sent to prison for six weeks, then come back out and do it again because they are addicted to drugs or alcohol.”
Street rangers also play an important role in making sure shoplifters don’t get to run off with their stolen goods.
Lynn’s Business Improvement District (BID) provides the service.
Vicky Etheridge, BID manager, said: “We continue to work with the council, police and businesses to deter shoplifting.
“At the same time, we will also provide support to retailers who are affected by retail crime, to help retrieve stock and make sure that crimes are recorded.
“We have a very active and effective Shopwatch partnership, which we are proud to be a part of.”
Are prolific offenders given harsh enough sentences?
Shoplifters who are charged by the police and end up in court are often ordered to pay compensation.
However, if offenders do not have the means to pay in full, compensation is often deducted from their benefits and paid back as little as a couple of pounds a week.
Meanwhile, some of West Norfolk’s prolific shoplifters are often in and out of prison.
Take Lynn woman Rochelle Baxter as an example. Just last week, she was jailed for 20 weeks at Lynn Magistrates’ Court after targeting several stores across Lynn.
She visited two supermarkets, as well as Boots in the town centre, and pinched goods to a total value of £400.
Last August, we reported that Baxter had received her third jail sentence of 2024.
Conservative North West Norfolk MP James Wild has said the Government’s plans to scrap short prison sentences will only encourage further offending.
He said: "Norfolk has one of the highest prosecution rates for shoplifting, and the police rightly prioritise this crime given the impact on staff, retailers, and our communities.
“Offenders must face sentences that reflect their seriousness, and when they are in prison, they cannot commit further offences.
“That's why the government's plans to scrap short sentences are wrong in principle and will only encourage further offending.
“If people re-offend and fail to change their behaviour, then they deserve to face longer sentences that protect the public."
Insp Jarvis admitted that he believes there are “challenges” with the criminal justice system.
“It's a difficult one for me to answer because ultimately we reinforce the law,” he said.
“I think there are challenges across the board in the criminal justice system. Some of the frustrations may be born out of someone being persistent in their offending.
“I think the onus is on us to just do our part within that. And that's what we do, and I feel we do that quite effectively.”
South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy said that the Labour Government is determined to treat shoplifting with the “seriousness it deserves”.
“With shoplifting offences having soared under the Conservatives, Labour set out a manifesto pledge - to scrap what was essentially immunity for some shoplifting offences, introduced by the previous government,” he said.
“This Labour Government is committed to ensuring all shop theft is treated with the seriousness it deserves, and our Crime and Policing Bill will see all shoplifting offences able to be tried as general theft, which carries a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment.
“In any conversation around shoplifting, we also need to highlight the impact these crimes have on staff, our communities and local businesses, and that is why, to protect staff and drive down retail crime, this Government has also introduced a new standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker in the Bill.
“Labour is also focusing on neighbourhood policing, through the hiring of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers by 2026. Following on from the success of the ‘Summer of Action’ which tackled street-level crime in 600 locations across the country, the Government are launching a new ‘Winter of Action’ in partnership with local businesses to target shoplifters and anti-social behaviour throughout the busiest period for retailers.
“I have worked with the Association of Convenience Stores in Parliament to highlight the importance of local village stores in rural areas like South West Norfolk, and these changes both in legislature and on the ground will make a real difference for staff, communities and businesses in the constituency.”
Anti-social behaviour ‘dealt with quite well’
Over in Downham, it is a different story altogether.
Shops say that anti-social behaviour among teenagers has been rife in the past few months, but has been hit on the head by the police.
However, the town, known for its ageing population, reportedly has a few OAP thieves circling around.
At one of Downham’s most historic shopping destinations, Reeds Homestore, staff described having groups of teenagers and schoolchildren causing disruption.
From jumping on the beds of its furniture department to causing a nuisance in other areas of the store, it left staff with no choice but to alert the police.
Luckily, general manager Andy Chase explained that officers in the town have “dealt with it quite well” and increased police presence in the town.
He believes that shoplifters and those causing anti-social behaviour could be stopped if businesses had a form of communication set up so they can warn each other about incidents.
“I think what would be good for Downham is to have some kind of WhatsApp group to communicate with other businesses,” he said.
“We will never get what Lynn has in Downham, but a WhatsApp group would be good.”
Another staff member at Reeds, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I must commend the police for their actions when this happened.
“It was not just us getting it (anti-social behaviour), but also Tesco and Iceland.
“Police took on board what we said and acted on it. Since then, we have not had any issues. We were wary about the school summer holidays.”
Andy recalled seeing a seasonal pattern of shoplifters approaching the Christmas period.
“We have shoplifters every year before Christmas. There are usually gangs that travel through Norfolk in October and come in groups and hit everywhere in the town,” he said.
Meanwhile, another Downham shop manager, who wished not to be named, reported seeing some elderly people in the town steal.
“Quite a lot of older people do shoplift. Once a thief, always a thief,” she said.
They experienced the same problems with antisocial behaviour among teenagers.
“We experienced the same thing; they had a run around here, but the police have now got a hold of things.
“We do have shoplifters, but we haven’t really noticed it too much.
“I have worked in retail for more than 40 years, and people have always stolen. They do it because they know they won’t face any repercussions.”
Insp Jarvis said that due to Downham not having as much CCTV, officers rely on communicating with businesses to catch offenders.
“By sheer numbers, Lynn is by far the busiest place, just because the population density is higher,” he said.
“In Hunstanton, we see more seasonal shoplifters in the summer months as more people are around.
“In Downham, you’d be looking at whether it’s persistent offenders, or ones that we don’t really know.
“There is not as much CCTV coverage there, so we have to look at alternative means of engaging the shops to make sure that we're giving them the best possible service.
“In Downham, it is about youth engagement, before any of the crime occurs or whatever else. Is there a problem youth crowd starting to develop? And if so, can we engage with them early on?
“It is about young people recognising that actually, if you misbehave, you'll be contributing negatively to society. And do you want this for yourself, your children, for your family?”
Which stores are targeted the most?
Most commonly, shoplifters pinch items of a higher value that they can sell on.
Meat, laundry products, cheese and alcohol are often swiped from shelves.
Shops close to Lynn’s bus station often see incidents of crime, with Sainsbury’s and B&M often targeted.
Insp Jarvis explained that officers have started conducting patrols on buses to ensure that passengers feel safe.
“There are a couple of areas in West Norfolk that have been identified as having significant pockets of crime over the past few months.
“We have put an increased patrol presence in those, and the town centre is one of them. Officers are trying to get out as much as possible in the town to provide that reassurance and, sort of, not only a deterrent, but also that reassurance.”
Are we bucking the trend nationally?
National media reports have reported a surge in people of a higher class taking to shoplifting items.
Across the border in Cambridgeshire, a 25% rise in shoplifting has been reported across the county, as well as an increase in middle-class criminals stealing for the thrill of it.
When asked if he had seen anything similar happen in West Norfolk, Insp Jarvis said: “Probably less so, whether that'd just be bucking the trend or whether it is just the type of demographic that we have here.
“The two main kinds of shoplifting issues that we have are persistent, repeat offenders who may have ongoing addiction issues, or the organised crime side of things.”