An "epidemic" of shoplifting is hitting Dorset business – some caused by hardship, some by organised crime gangs.

Incidents of ‘steaming’ are said to have become more common, where a gang enters a target shop at the same time, blatantly taking as much as they can get their hands on and then running.

Shop staff are often terrified to tackle the thieves and those businesses who do have security find there is little one person can do against such tactics.

“From what I have been told the shop keepers are finding this very, very frightening,” said Weymouth councillor Pete Barrow at a meeting of the Dorset Police and Crime Panel.

Support is now being offered in a business-to-business scheme with the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, offering to pay the expenses for 200 firms to sign up to a nationally recognised scheme.

A limited pilot project is already underway in central Bournemouth for a dozen licensed premises and is said to have been making some inroads against know criminals.

Mr Sidwick said he had witnessed shoplifting in a local Tesco store, chasing three shoplifters down the road.

He said that incident had led to the shop joining the Safer Dorset Business Partnership where steps are being made to improve reporting and target the thieves who now often steal to order, sometimes passing the stolen goods on to other retail outlets, prepared to knowingly receive stolen goods.

Mr Sidwick said that targeting known prolific shoplifters was one of the most successful tactics.

He said he and the police were working on ways of streamlining the process of reporting business crime, including looking at better online reporting methods.

Mr Sidwick said he was also backing the national UK Partners Against Crime initiative which offers a platform for businesses to share information and intelligence, including allowing the police to share information about who to look out for.

He said that his office would fund up to 200 businesses across Dorset to join their platform and with training and support.

 

Traders: 'It's a battle'

Responding to comments made at the meeting, Zoe Mowlam, team member at Toymaster in Weymouth said tackling shoplifting was “a relentless battle".

She said: “I have not experienced anything as a group (steaming) – it is usually a select few individuals who we are recognising on a very regular basis.

“The town wardens are really good and help us retrieve our things if we manage to apprehend the person.

“But it is a battle – they just come in and out. It is more of a consistent thing – I am sure there is an uplift this time of year as more people come into town."

She added: “If they know that we are busy they are quite happy to have a little walk round and put things in their bags.

“We have got quite a few younger members of staff and it is quite daunting for them.

“It is just not worth chasing them; you do not know who you are going to come up against.”

On the financial hit she said: “It is probably into the hundreds [of pounds]. We had £200 worth of Lego stolen and we just have to take the hit if the insurance does not cover it.

President of the Weymouth & Portland Chamber of Commerce said: “This is a specific problem and geared around anti-social behaviour and crime.

“If this criminal activity is happening at the time, call 999 and if it has happened, dial 101.

“Shoplifting has been a factor of business life forever and if there are other styles of shoplifting it is an alarming thing.

“You can imagine that this may trigger an increase in CCTV in the town centre and in premises in the hope that repeat offenders will be prosecuted.”