'We want people to feel safe coming into town'

POLICE CRACKING DOWN ON SHOPLIFTERS IN CITY CENTRE

- By OWEN YOUNGER

A DEDICATED Northumbria Police operation has been launched to tackle Newcastle city centre shoplifting - with 60 convictions secured to date.

Operation Canvas has been created as a way for businesses to make a direct report with CCTV evidence to the Neighbourhood Policing Team.

This streamlined approach means that, through working with the Crown Prosecution Service, officers do not need to locate, arrest and interview offenders, and they can instead be summonsed to court straight away to face shoplifting charges.

This greatly reduces the time spent by police on each offence, which will be used to instead help the community in a more constructive way. Since it started in November 2023, Operation Canvas has helped secure the aforementioned 60 convictions, with 58 pleading guilty to the offences.

This has seen 118 weeks’ worth of custodial sentences handed down, with 17 community orders put in place for offenders, and 200 hours of unpaid work given out. It has also generated £2,700 in fines, with £7,800 in compensation ordered to be paid to retailers who are victims of the thefts.