'Small and dedicated' team waging war on shoplifters in Yorkshire city

Doncaster neighbourhood policing team NTP have made over 200 arrests and 150 convictions over the past six months after new approach to tackling shoplifting.

The crackdown comes after a concerning spike in retail crime in the city. Doncaster Central NPT have created a dedicated team to focus on shoplifters.

A total of 201 suspected shoplifters were arrested by the team between November 2023 and April 2024. There has been a conviction rate of 78 per cent and the number of reports of shoplifting in Doncaster city centre has also fallen from 224 in August 2023 to 51 in February 2024.

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Lead organiser, Sergeant Steve Roberts said: "In the summer of last year, we recognised a dramatic increase in the number of reports of shoplifting in Doncaster city centre.

"Shoplifting is not a victimless crime and is often linked to wider antisocial behaviour (ASB) so it was important for us to look at our approach and create new systems and processes to allow us to target thieves and protect our local communities.

"We set up a small, dedicated retail crime team whose job is to capture evidence, take victim and witness statements, compile and check CCTV footage and task PCSOs to different retail crime investigations.

"They work across a multitude of cases and have been able to recognise patterns of offending by repeat offenders, which enables us to identify them early within the process and carry out arrest attempts.

"With their superior knowledge of cases and offenders, they are then able to build complete packages which we can present to the CPS in order to secure the relevant charges."

A number of repeat offenders have been given hefty and immediate custodial sentences. Tommy Knott, 26, of Oldfield Crescent, was jailed for 14 months in December 2023 after being convicted of eight thefts, with Kirsty Mullen, 34, given a 12-month prison sentence in February 2024.

Other well-known and prolific offenders, including Shakita Maximillian, Casey Wilkins and Darrell Coleman, have also found themselves behind bars after being apprehended by Doncaster Central NPT's retail crime team.

"We are starting to see more and more custodial sentences handed out which reflects just how seriously judges are taking retail crime," Sgt Roberts said. "Shoplifters used to think they were untouchable and could get away with their crimes scot-free but that isn't the case anymore.

"We've worked hard to gather crucial intelligence and spot the trends, behaviours and patterns of offenders and we make sure we regularly share this information across other departments in the district so they are aware of who is wanted for shoplifting.

"The message is simple - we will not tolerate shoplifters wreaking havoc and misery on our city and we will continue to build on the strides we've made so we do not miss an opportunity to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice."

Another vital aspect of this new approach has centred around the importance of forging strong relationships with retailers and partners in the city centre.

To build on this success, a retail crime symposium will be held in Doncaster in July. It will see retailers and key partners come together to discuss methods of reporting, accessing CCTV footage and obtaining Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) for prolific offenders.

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