POLICE have revealed that just five individuals committed more than 25 per cent of the thefts from Inverclyde shops from April to June.
Shoplifting in the area more than doubled to 188 crimes compared with the same period last year, nearly two fifths of them involving theft of alcohol.
This led to overall crimes of dishonesty increasing by 18.5 per cent to 353, despite overall reported crime falling by 13 per cent.
A report by local police chiefs states: “The main driver of this rise in acquisitive crime is theft by shoplifting; in addition to constituting over 53 per cent of all crimes of dishonesty, this type of crime has more than doubled on figures recorded in the same period in 2023.
“Repeat offending has been identified as a significant issue in respect of shoplifting crime, with just five individuals being charged in relation to more than a quarter of all offences recorded in the reporting period.”
Thefts of alcohol made up almost 40 per cent of shoplifting crimes.
The report continues: “Exclusion zones continue to be utilised as a tactic to deter the most prolific repeat shoplifters in Inverclyde along with the Radiolink system in Port Glasgow and Greenock.
“Officers from Community Policing have been working with ‘Retailers Against Crime’ to develop intelligence gathering opportunities and crime prevention techniques.
“Officers have been working with local retailers to tackle the issues and have held information sessions in both the Oak Mall and Tesco in Port Glasgow where they interacted with members of the public during a Retail Crime Day of Engagement to give advice on fraud, theft and online safety.”
Almost all other crimes of dishonesty have fallen year on year, with common theft dropping by over 16 per cent, recorded fraud falling by over a third, housebreaking crimes falling by almost 15 per cent and thefts/attempted thefts of motor vehicles falling by 14 per cent.
