Sussex PCC goes ahead with pilot to tag prolific shoplifters

Katy Bourne, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint lead for business and retail crime, has long been an advocate for tougher measures against shoplifters.

She said she “understands the impact on people and businesses” and will work with other criminal justice partners and make Sussex a pilot area for electronic tagging of persistent offenders.

Sussex Police Detective Inspector Martin Harmer will lead on the tagging pilot. He has already implemented ‘Buddi Tags’ for a number of court-mandated outcomes such as Stalking Protection Orders.

Under current plans, Buddi Tags is the preferred partner for this project and Det Insp Harmer will now plan how these tags can be implemented in Sussex for persistent and prolific shoplifters.

Ms Bourne said: “Having first asked for electronic tagging to become ‘business as usual’ when tackling persistent shoplifters two years ago, I have become impatient waiting for government to make a decision so I have, instead, decided to pioneer this project with Sussex Police myself.

“Shoplifting not only destroys livelihoods for our independent retailers but it also erodes the culture of our high streets by making residents feel unsafe when they visit.

“Over my time in office I have worked tirelessly with Sussex Police and various partners to tackle business and retail crime. I am pleased to say we have seen a marked improvement in the police response – reporting is higher than ever, solved rates for shop theft are up too, platforms such as DISC and One-Touch Reporting, are building trust by putting our retailers in much closer contact with the police.

“This project seeks to take our mission one step further by stopping persistent shoplifters from even accessing the areas in which they commit their crimes. I look forward to working with Det Insp Harmer on this project and to sharing our progress.”

Det Insp Harmer said: “My previous roles in safeguarding and intervention projects have shown me the positive impact that targeted support can have in reducing offending and encouraging engagement.

“The addition of GPS tagging will further strengthen the incentives for people to stop offending and provide additional methods to enforce compliance.”