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Neighbourhood police officers’ local knowledge, and ongoing engagement with repeat offenders, key to tackling retail crime in Newark




With retail crime named as a priority for Newark’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, officers’ local knowledge is key to identifying those responsible.

The latest policing priorities for the district, which were set earlier this month and will remain priorities until March, are retail crime in Newark Town Centre, shoplifting in Ollerton and Blidworth, and drug dealing in Newark.

Newark’s businesses have in recent months faced issues with shoplifting and burglaries — with those targeted including a dry cleaners, cafe, charity shop, and furniture store, among others.

Retail crime, such as shoplifting and commercial burglary, in Newark town centre is a priority for the town’s neighbourhood policing team.
Retail crime, such as shoplifting and commercial burglary, in Newark town centre is a priority for the town’s neighbourhood policing team.

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood said: “[The retail crime priority was chosen as,] in Sherwood we’ve got a specific issue with shoplifting but in Newark we’re also seeing commercial burglaries alongside that.

“Often there’s an overlap and the people shoplifting in the town are likely to be the same people who are committing the burglaries, so it makes sense to target the issues together.

“It’s important for retailers to feel they’ve got our support.”

A number of offenders have already been sentenced for multiple of these offences, including burglar Michael Richens, 42, of Queens Court, Newark, who pleaded guilty to attempted burglary at Newark Antiques Centre, burglary of Kingsman Interiors, and fraud by using a bank card not belonging to him.

He was sentenced at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on January 16, for the offences which took place on December 5, 2024, and was ordered to pay £890 in compensation and undertake drug rehabilitation.

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood.
Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood.

Serial shoplifter Daimien Temple has also been sentenced to a community order and ordered to pay £199.50 in compensation after making off with food and laundry goods worth nearly £500 from Newark and Balderton shops on six occasions across November and December.

Temple, 44, of Willow Road, Balderton, pleaded guilty to the offences at Nottingham Magistrates Court on January 13.

It is the local knowledge of the neighbourhood officers which has helped bring some of these cases to justice — and will remain key to identifying offenders going forward.

In many cases, those involved are repeat offenders, shop security are often able to help identify the offenders, and the neighbourhood team’s officers and PCSOs can easily recognise them from CCTV footage.

In the case of Richens, a warrant was put out for his arrest after neighbourhood officers were able to identify him from a five-second CCTV clip showing his face.

Officers also work to gather CCTV evidence and build a picture of repeat offences prior to arrest, Inspector Ellam explained, to ensure that once the offender is in custody, they can be quickly linked to these.

For repeat offenders where community orders or custodial sentences have not proved a deterrent, police are also able to explore securing criminal behaviour orders which can restrict their behaviour and locations they can visit.

They also aim to keep previous offenders out of crime, through Operation Legacy, which sees officers keep contact with them and help them access services such as drug rehabilitation, mental health support, and benefits to “try and get them on the right track”, the District Commander added.

Op Legacy was first introduced in the Newark area, and is designed to help manage high volume offenders who have committed low and medium harm crimes — and was particularly used for a small group of males who were in and out of the court system and were responsible for numerous shoplifting offences in Newark town centre.



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