We are in the middle of a shoplifting epidemic that has reached every corner of the country, and Oxted no exception. Our shops are losing stock and money in unbelievable amounts every single day. As if our local retailers haven’t had it hard enough post Covid, serial shoplifters, who are often well-known local faces, are making it so much worse.
In Oxted, incidents of shoplifting, sometimes accompanied by verbal and physical assaults on shop staff have been escalating in recent months, and this is, according to the media, a national problem. Not all businesses have a problem, but it’s fair to say that the supermarkets, Boots, Paydens and Factory Shop are targeted daily.
The lack of police on the streets is also both a national and local problem and most shops and small communities do not have the funds to employ private security.
So what are we doing as a business community?
Shop Alert WhatsApp group
The majority of Oxted Town Centre businesses are on a Shop Alert WhatsApp group. They use this to share incidents and let other shops know when known offenders have been spotted, so they can keep a look-out.
All of the main stores have CCTV, and record and collect information on all the shoplifting incidents, which are reported with CCTV footage to the police, who can then start building cases behind the scenes against the repeat offenders.
These people are brazen. They can also be quite aggressive to any shop staff members that get in their way or approach them, and seem to believe it’s their right to lift as much stock as possible from the shops. They are also often, sadly, identifiable school kids and local families (who regularly shop in packs using their children as look-outs or distractions), but there are also a number of organised thieves who come in from other areas by car and train.
Main items stolen: alcohol, vapes, meat, though some families will try to walk out with entire trolleys full of goods.
DISC System
The Oxted Business Improvement District (aka Love Oxted) has now signed up to the crime information sharing system, DISC. This is a secure, police approved system which allows shops to share all CCTV, shoplifting and antisocial behaviour incidents and a rogues gallery of photos of all the criminals, and also to report incidents directly to the police.
The police then have access to all reported incidents in Oxted and can work with other businesses and local schools to identify offenders and take action. We are also exploring implementing banning orders for persistent shoplifters, so that shops can prevent known and repeated offenders from entering their premises.
Town Centre CCTV
We are awaiting the arrival of the CCTV system, spearheaded by Oxted Parish Council in conjunction with Limpsfield Parish Council and The Oxted BID (Love Oxted) that will cover the whole of Oxted Town Centre, and which we have been assured will be implemented as soon as licences have been agreed.
Shoplifting Whistle Campaign
If you hear a whistle on the high street, you will soon know what it means.
We have issued shops with green whistles to trial a simple deterrent and warning system.
Working alongside our WhatsApp Shop Alert group and new DISC system, shop staff who witness individuals leaving their store with unpaid-for goods will step outside and whistle to alert nearby stores.
Aside from warning other businesses, this may well draw attention to the shoplifters themselves and we hope some of them might think twice about doing it next time, particularly if they live in the Oxted community. After all, stealing from your neighbours is not cool…
We will shortly also be sitting down with Police Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, our MP, Claire Coutinho to discuss what else can be done to help keep our local businesses safe. This has come about following a letter co-authored by The OXTED BID, Cllr Jackie Wren, Oxted Parish Council and Limpsfield Parish Council, is an appeal to the Surrey Police to respond to numerous 999 calls and reports of theft and antisocial behaviour, and to put more police back on the streets to try to deter the local and organised thieves.
What you can do
- ALERT SHOP STAFF: If you see anyone shoplifting, please do not approach them, but alert store staff immediately. They can then find them on the CCTV and report them to the police.
- REPORT A CRIME TO POLICE: Police cannot do anything about it if it is not reported. Most crime goes unreported, so criminals just continue to get away with it. So PLEASE report any crime you witness, as the offenders may already be on the police radar and the more they have on them, the better chances of prosecution. You can also report them anonymously via 101 or tell them about something you have seen or heard – see links below.
REPORT A CRIME OR ASB: https://www.surrey.police.uk/ro/report/
TELL THE POLICE ABOUT SOMETHING YOU’VE SEEN OR HEARD: https://www.surrey.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/soh/seen-or-heard/
SEND FOOTAGE VIA THE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY PORTAL https://www.surrey.police.uk/police-forces/surrey-police/areas/campaigns/suspicious-activity-portal/
