Police have arrested seven people as part of a crackdown on retail thefts in Workington.
On 17 August police launched a campaign, codenamed Operation Buffalo, which saw officers working with local retailers and operators from Allerdale Borough Council CCTV unit to target offenders involved in shoplifting within the town. To date the operation has led to the arrest of seven males and females from the West Cumbria area. The property recovered during the operation has included alcohol, foodstuffs and jewelry.
Those arrested during the operation have now been banned from all retail premises in Workington as part of the towns’ safe and sound scheme which is managed by local retailers.
As part of our ongoing commitment to address this problem an anti-social behaviour order, ASBO, application was made to West Allerdale Magistrates Court on 25 August 2010 to have a persistent offender excluded from the town to prevent him shoplifting.
Forty-year-old Gary Faunch, of Mealsgate, Wigton was sent to prison for 180 days after being found guilty for a number of offences of shoplifting committed in Workington. He was also made subject of an ASBO until 25 August 2015 which prohibits him from:
• Entering any property or premises that are members of the Workington Shop Watch exclusion scheme.
• Entering any property or premises that are members of the Maryport Shop Watch exclusion scheme.
• Entering any property or premises that are members of the Whitehaven Shop Watch exclusion scheme.
• Entering any property or premises that are members of the Cockermouth Shop Watch exclusion scheme.
• Entering any retail premises within the area defined by the black line in Carlisle City Centre.
His wife Amanda Faunch, 40, also of Mealsgate, Wigton, was found guilty of similar offences and given a 12 month supervision order, 80 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £156 costs.
PC Heather Jones, of Workington Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “In Workington we have seen a small increase in the number of thefts over the last few months, so we launched this operation to tackle the issue. Retail theft costs businesses millions of pounds every year and is a problem across the UK.
“This operation is just one phase of our crackdown on offenders and we will continue to work hard with retailers to ensure their property is as secure as possible and help prevent them becoming a target for thieves.”
To find out more, or have your say on local policing priorities in Workington, call the Neighbourhood Policing Team on 0845 33 00 247, or pop along to the next Safer, Stronger Community meeting which will be held at 7pm on Thursday 9 September at Moorclose Community Centre.