A BLITZ targeting thieves across Barnsley will come into force as part of a police crackdown which aims to reverse soaring rates of shoplifting blighting the town.
Shoppers and businesses will see increased police patrols and local action to tackle town centre crime.
This will see more officers on patrol during peak times, accompanied by stronger prevention and enforcement action by police, councils and other local partners.
The Home Office, alongside police and retailers, are also launching a new tackling retail crime together strategy, which will use shared data to assist in disrupting not just organised criminal gangs, but all types of perpetrators including prolific offenders who are stealing to fund an addiction and ‘opportunist’ offenders.
The move which has been welcomed by Stephanie Peacock, the MP for Barnsley South.
She said: “The Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing whilst crimes like shoplifting and street theft were spiralling out of control.
“The number of PCSOs was slashed in half, while special constable numbers were cut by two-thirds.
“That was the Tory legacy on law and order, and communities like ours in Barnsley have paid the price.
“I welcome this crackdown which will make a real difference to people across Barnsley.
“We all deserve town centres and high streets free from thugs and thieves.
“As part of this government’s Plan For Change, we are putting 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs back on the streets by the end of the Parliament.
“Creating thriving town centres where businesses and communities can flourish supports the government’s growth mission, raising living standards, backing local economies and supporting communities.”
Shoplifting has soared to record levels, with a staggering 70 per cent increase in their last two years in office alone.
The latest statistics show a ten per cent rise in shoplifting in South Yorkshire, with a 20 per cent rise nationally.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “High streets and town centres are the very heart of our communities.
“Residents and businesses have the right to feel safe in their towns. But the last government left a surge in shop theft, street crime and antisocial behaviour which has left too many town centres feeling abandoned.
“It’s time to turn this round - that’s why I have called on police forces and councils to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime, to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.
“We are putting officers back on the beat where you can see them and making our town centres safe again.”
