Shoppers in the cheese, meat, alcohol, and beauty aisles will see bright yellow hands protruding from the shelves – a Cleveland Police idea to combat shop theft.
The hands are the idea of Redcar neighbourhood sergeant Andy Dark and will be placed on products that continue to be attractive to thieves. They come with the message ‘Stop thief, think, this store is monitored by CCTV and shoplifters will be prosecuted’. The force adds that search warrants will be carried out on properties believed to be containing stolen goods.
Officers also want the campaign to eradicate the common misconception that shoplifting is a victimless crime by showing the impact that it can have on businesses, particularly those independent local stores, and on the local jobs market.
Superdrug on Redcar High Street is one of the stores that will be using the hands. The manager Tracey Coyle said: “I think they are quite a good deterrent and the idea has been sent to our Head Office to use in other areas. Shoplifting can cost us quite a lot because of the things we sell.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jason Dickson said: “These hands are bright and impactive and we make no excuses for that – we hope that the message will make would be shoplifters think about the consequences of their actions.
“We appreciate that some people are struggling to make ends meet in the current economic climate but the message has to be clear that turning to crime is not the solution. We have a responsibility to protect local retailers who are finding it harder to survive and small family-run firms can’t continue to battle with running a business, employing staff and having large stock losses due to shoplifting “
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Barry Coppinger, said: “This crime is not victimless, far from it; the local community can be affected greatly if shops close, jobs are lost and finances are ruined. This campaign supports my pledge to host a series of business crime summits and I will continue to assist the business community.”
