Pioneering scheme launched in Portsmouth to curb shoplifting, violence and abuse in shops by working with prolific offenders

The new approach is being tested in Portsmouth after The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Portsmouth City Council, Southern Co-op, the Society of St James and Hampshire Constabulary joined forces.

Together they hope to drive down retail crime through intervention as part of the £67,000 scheme that will run for two years.

The pioneering approach will have a post holder, called a Navigator, who works with the police, probation, council and prison service to identify the most notorious offenders.

These people are known for offences often including assault, shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, begging and criminal damage.

The Navigator will build a relationship with offenders ready to break free from their criminal cycle. They will then receive access to intensive and targeted intervention to stop their offending behaviour.

Help with addiction, housing, poverty or diversion from crime through therapeutic sports programmes or paid work are ways offenders will be supported.

Southern Co-op originally pitched the idea to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and has agreed to fund £35,000 for the project over two years.

Portsmouth City Council has also pumped in £32,000 through its Rough Sleeping Initiative grant.

Gareth Lewis, security manager at Southern Co-op which runs retail, coffee and funeral care in the city, said the project was ‘unique with there no other scheme like it in the country’.

He said: ‘Offenders are driven by substance abuse and they are stealing to feed their drug habit. This project is about giving them a helping hand and saying “if you want to get off substance abuse and get your life back on track, there’s the funding and support there to do that”.

‘If we can take one life and turn it round then it’s got to be worth doing as well as being a practical approach to dealing with this issue.’

He added: ‘We are extremely hopeful that this two-year pilot will have a real impact in terms of driving down crimes against all businesses in Portsmouth – not just individual premises.

‘The abuse our colleagues face in our stores is unacceptable but they aren’t the only victims here. Crime needs to be tackled from every angle and hopefully this new approach will mean that offenders can get the help they need to break out of a vicious circle of crime.’

The Society of St James, which helps vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, problems with alcohol and substance use and other complex needs, has been commissioned to appoint the Navigator role to carry out the targeted intervention.

Mike Taylor, operations director for Society of St James, said: ‘Unfortunately there are many people in our communities who are struggling, and for some this struggle spills over into desperate behaviour and crime, which is often compounded with addiction and mental health issues.

‘Our new navigator will be a bridge to build a relationship between this targeted group with the excellent support services that are available in the city. This might be help with addiction, housing, poverty or diversion from crime through our therapeutic sports programme or paid work in our social Enterprise - Café in the Park. We are very pleased to be part of this initiative and see it as a very positive partnership.’

Councillor Darren Sanders, member for housing, said: ‘People who find themselves rough sleeping or on the brink of homelessness will often resort through desperation to shoplifting. We know people are worried about it and it is great that we will tackle it. The principles Portsmouth has pioneered - building up relationships, frequent engagement - are ideal for freeing people from the cycle of offending. They will help stop crime and I am delighted that Portsmouth is funding this long-overdue scheme.’

Police and crime commissioner Donna Jones said: ‘Retail workers are often on the front line of abuse, they are in public-facing roles and require more support when it comes to assaults or verbal attacks.

‘I know locally that businesses have adopted various crime prevention initiatives to ensure they can protect their buildings, products and each other from burglary, theft and assault, but we need to do more.

‘To bring about long lasting solutions we have to look at ways to break the cycle of offending and we need to focus on the front end of the criminal justice system and look at why these crimes are committed, and ultimately try to change that.

‘Retail workers go above and beyond to keep their customers and colleagues safe. As a partnership, we need to do all we can to make their work, and the wider community, a safe place to be.’

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The British Retail Consortium recently wrote an open letter to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales asking for reducing retail crime to be made a priority, underlining the impact it has on victims.

Chief Insp Marcus Cator of Hampshire police said: ‘Our officers are committed to working with the new Crime Reduction Outreach Worker to drive down incidents of retail and business crime, which can have a devastating impact on the front-line workers who face violence and abuse while simply doing their jobs.

‘We hope to build a strong partnership between the person in this new role and our re-launched Portsmouth City Centre Unit, which will be targeting prolific shoplifters in the area.’

Progress on the project will be reviewed at a bi-monthly criminal justice steering group and twice annual stakeholder meeting.